Pope urges more protection for Christians in Iraq

Vatican City, July 3 (IANS/AKI) Pope Benedict XVI has urged Iraqi authorities to give more protection to Christians and other religious minorities in the insurgency-hit country.

Iraq’s new government needs to urgently implement measures designed to improve security for all sectors of the population but especially its various minorities, he said.

The pontiff reminded Iraq’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Habib Mohammed Hadi Ali al-Sadr, that “since the earliest days of the Church, Christians have been present in the land of Abraham, a land which is part of the common patrimony of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam”.

“Although Christians form a small minority of Iraq’s population, they have a valuable contribution to make to its reconstruction and economic recovery through their educational and healthcare apostolates, while their engagement in humanitarian projects provides much needed assistance in building up society,” Benedict said.

“If they are to play their full part, however, Iraqi Christians need to know that it is safe for them to remain in or return to their homes, and they need assurances that their properties will be restored to them and their rights upheld.”

Italian foreign affairs minister Franco Frattini has often called for greater protection and respect for Iraqi Christians threatened with persecution for their religious beliefs.

Over 40 Christians have been killed in attacks in northern Iraq between January and March in a resurgence of the violence which killed 40 Christians and caused more than 12,000 to flee the country in 2008.

There are approximately 700,000 Christians remaining in Iraq.

Before the US-led invasion in 2003, there were over a million Christians living in Iraq, according to data collected by the country’s dioceses.

–IANS/AKI