Pope Speaks to Iraqi Leader on Religious Freedom

Castel Gandolfo, Jul. 25, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki met with Pope Benedict XVI on July 25 at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

Pope Benedict underscored his concern about the Christian minority in Iraq during the conversation. A Vatican statement released after the meeting noted that the Holy Father had decried the continuing violence in Iraq and pointed out that the bloodshed has taken a heavy toll on "the Christian communities which strongly feel the need for greater security."

The Pope also spoke about the needs of Iraqi refugees and-- returning to issues involving religious freedom-- the importance of inter-religious dialogue and the need to ensure the minorities have a voice in the country's future.

During the conversation-- which took place in a "cordial atmosphere" according to the Vatican report-- the Iraqi prime minister invited the Pope to visit his country. Such a papal visit would be unprecedented. In 1999, Pope John Paul II indicated a desire to travel to Iraq-- to Ur of the Chaldeans, the birthplace of the biblical patriarch Abraham-- as part of his Jubilee pilgrimage to the major sites of Bible history. Tentatively scheduled for December 1999, that papal trip was eventually cancelled because of political conditions imposed by the Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein.

Before his meeting with the Pontiff, Prime Minister al Maliki spoke with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Secretary for Relations with States.

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