Vatican, Jun. 19, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The ancient Christian communities of the Middle East must be " supported by the entire Catholic Church," Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) said in a June 19 talk to participants in an annual conference of ROACO, the Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches.
The Holy Father mentioned his concern for the Chaldean Catholics of Iraq, where Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho died in February after being kidnapped outside his cathedral in Mosul. The Christian minority in Iraq has been subjected to frequent violence and intimidation.
The Pope also mentioned Lebanon, where a recent political accord suggests that the country may have "found the path of dialogue and understanding." Christians there still need help as they strive to be "a sign of the real possibility for peaceful and constructive coexistence," he said. Pope Benedict said that he hopes the beatification of Father Jacques Ghazir Haddad in Lebanon this Sunday, June 22, would "touch the hearts of young Lebanese." (more)
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