Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his concern over last weekend's attacks on eight Christian churches in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Mosul, which left four people dead and many injured.In a telegram sent to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldean faith, the Vatican's secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone, said that the Pope "prays for a conversion of heart in the authors of this violence, and encourages the authorities to do everything possible to promote just and peaceful coexistence among all sectors of the Iraqi population".
On Monday the top United Nations envoy to Iraq called for more efforts to protect the country’s Christians, as well as other minority communities.
The secretary general's special representative for Iraq, Ad Melkert, said that those responsible for the attacks were trying to terrorise small groups making it more difficult to coexist peacefully.
“This campaign is aimed at terrorising vulnerable groups and preventing the peaceful coexistence of different religious groups in what is one of the world’s cradles of religious and ethnic diversity,” said Melkert.
The city of Mosul has the highest proportion of Christians in Iraq, and even has several ancient churches, some of which date back to the early centuries of Christianity.
Bombs exploded outside several Christian Churches in Baghdad on Sunday.
Four people were killed and 30 others were injured in the attacks which were believed to have been a co-ordinated assault.
The United Nations said an upsurge in attacks, threats and intimidation had forced more than 12,000 Christians to flee Mosul – Iraq’s second largest city – in October 2008.
Some of them returned after hearing that the security situation had improved.
Iraqi Christians are believed to total around 750,000 and are a minority in a country that is mostly Muslim of around 28 million people.
Christians have randomly been targeted in attacks around Iraq, mostly in Baghdad and Mosul, which has caused many to flee the country. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Source (AKI)
SV (ED)