Salah Malkawi / Getty Images
Ishtartv.com –breitbart.com
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican
on Saturday urged Iraqi President Barham Saleh to guarantee the safety of
Christians and ensure they have a future place in the war-battered country.
Saleh met with Pope Francis, the
Vatican secretary of state and foreign minister during back-to-back audiences
on his second visit to the Vatican.
Saleh’s office said he and the
pope discussed a papal visit to Iraq, but said only that it was “scheduled to be
paid at a later date.”
Francis had expressed hope of
visiting Iraq this year, but no trip was ever confirmed and it’s unclear if it
will be given the turmoil unleashed by the U.S. drone strike on Iraqi soil that
killed a top Iranian general.
The attack provoked the ire of
Iraqi officials and led to the passing of a non-binding resolution by Iraqi
lawmakers to oust U.S. troops.
The Holy See said the meetings
focused on promoting peace and security in Iraq, especially for Christian
minorities, many of whom have fled communities that date from the time of
Christ to escape persecution by Islamic State militants.
In a statement, the Vatican said
the meetings covered the “importance of preserving the historical presence of
Christians in the country, of which they are an integral part, and the
significant contribution they bring to the reconstruction of the social fabric,
highlighting the need to guarantee their security and a place in the future of
Iraq.”
Saleh’s office said peaceful
coexistence between Muslims and Christians was the only way to eradicate
extremism.
The Vatican hinted at the rising
tensions stemming from the U.S. drone attack, saying the discussions underlined
the need for the international community to “re-establish trust and peaceful
co-existence.”
During the meeting, Saleh gave
Francis a replica of the Code of Hammurabi, the ancient set of Babylonian laws,
calling it a “symbol of peace.”
Francis, for his part, gave Saleh
a medallion and a set of his major teaching documents, including one on Christian-Muslim
fraternity. He told Saleh he wanted an Iraqi identity card identifying him as a
descendant of Abraham, a figure common to Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
|