The smallest martyr in history
On Sunday, October 31, 2010, a terrorist group broke into the Syrian Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baghdad during the celebration of Mass, where 150 people were present including priests, deacons, choir and faithful.
The commando made up of five militiamen took everyone present hostage, demanding the release of al-Qaeda exponents.
The blitz by Iraqi security forces and US soldiers ended in a massacre in which two priests and 46 lay people perished.
Over 70 wounded who, in many cases, reported very serious amputations.
Among the martyrs was RaghdaWafyBishara [رغدةوفيبشارة], a young pregnant bride from the Syrian Archdiocese of Baghdad.
She was born on August 3, 1988 and baptized on September 16, 1988 in Baghdad (Iraq) in the same cathedral as her in her martyrdom She was a sunny girl, who died at just 22 years old along with the creature she was carrying.
She was a member of the Youth Fraternity of the Cathedral directed by Father Wassim. She was also a member of the “ProtocolComittee,” she attended her parish every Sunday, recited the rosary and sang in the choir.
She was so present in the Parish activities.
She did her secondary education at Al-MakasibSecondary School and High School in Dijla.
She then went to Baghdad Technology University and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Socially she was a member of the “Al-Hindiya Social Club” in Al-KaradaDistrict, where she went with her family.
She enjoyed skiing, playing tennis and listening to music. She had thought about moving out of Iraq. She got married on September 17 of that same year 2010 and she immediately became pregnant.
In fact, at the time of her death she had only been pregnant for a month.
This is why they called her “the bride of Our Lady of Perpetual Help” and the mother of the unborn martyr That she became pregnant immediately after her wedding, the people who were with her in her sacristy where she died with the child she was carrying testify.
This happened due to the explosion of a bomb thrown by one of the terrorists in front of the sacristy, where at least eighty people had taken refuge.
The cause of these Iraqi martyrs has been concluded at the diocesan level and now the judgment of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the proclamation of their martyrdom by Pope Francis are awaited.
The Association for the Postulation of Unborn Child Martyrs considers the recognition of the martyrdom of the unborn child in the womb of the mother-martyr RaghdaWafyBishara to be very significant.
He will be the smallest martyr in the world.
It will be a sign of God’s action a little outside our schemes in which He is glorified by the Innocents not in words but in blood.