Servant of God Ragheed Aziz Ganni was born on January 20, 1972, in Mosul, Iraq, into a devout Chaldean Catholic family. He earned a degree in civil engineering from Mosul University in 1993 and, after completing his mandatory military service, pursued his calling to the priesthood. In 1996, Ganni moved to Rome to study theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), residing at the Pontifical Irish College. He was ordained a priest on October 13, 2001, and completed his licentiate in ecumenical theology in 2003. Fluent in multiple languages, including Aramaic, Arabic, Italian, French, and English, Ganni also served as a correspondent for the international agency AsiaNews.

Despite opportunities to remain abroad, Father Ganni chose to return to Iraq in 2003, feeling a profound commitment to serve his community amid escalating violence. As the parish priest of the Holy Spirit Chaldean Church in Mosul, he was dedicated to the spiritual and moral rebuilding of his war-torn city. He organized theology courses, provided aid to families affected by the conflict, and facilitated medical care for children in European hospitals. Father Ganni remained resolute in his mission, even as threats from extremist groups intensified, famously stating, "Without the Sunday Eucharist, we cannot live."

On June 3, 2007, after celebrating Sunday Mass, Father Ganni and three deacons—Basman Yousef Daud, Wahid Hanna Isho, and Gassan Isam Bidawed—were ambushed and killed by armed militants outside their church. Their martyrdom sent shockwaves through the global Christian community. In 2018, the Vatican authorized the opening of the cause for their beatification.