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Pope to Iraqi President: ‘I Appeal to You with My Heart Full of Pain’

By Josephine McKenna, Religion News Service
 Creative Commons image by Christoph Wagener
Pope Francis on June 21. Creative Commons image by Christoph Wagener
Aug 22, 2014
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Pope Francis wrote to the president of Iraq, calling for an end to the “brutal suffering of Christians and other religious minorities” and urging political leaders to end the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Francis said in his letter to Iraqi President Fouad Massoum:

“I appeal to you with my heart full of pain while I follow the brutal suffering of Christians and other religious minorities who are forced to leave their homes, as their places of worship are destroyed.”

Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the pope’s official envoy to Iraq, delivered the pope’s message during his recent trip to that country. The two met at the Vatican on Thursday. The pope previously appealed to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to intervene to end the crisis.

Earlier this week, Francis revealed during a media conference with reporters that he was ready to travel to Iraq to try to find a solution to the ongoing violence.

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Pope Francis on June 21. Creative Commons image by Christoph Wagener
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