Prime Minister Maliki and Pope Benedict XVI

According to Reuters, Pope B16 has an open invitation to visit Iraq and help interreligious dialogue between the dominant Muslim population and the minority Christian population, much of which fled the country during the U.S. invasion. There has been some violence against the Iraqi Christians, particularly the targeting of clergy and churches by Sunni militants. One might recall that last February the Archbishop of Mosul of the largest of Iraq's Christian denominations--the Chaldean Catholics--was kidnapped and found dead two weeks later. Maliki thinks that the Pope's presence could help interreligious understanding, which is necessary for Iraq's future.

See the full article here.

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