ALL CHRISTIANS SHOULD SUPPORT CHURCH IN MIDDLE EAST

Catholic World News
June 19 2008

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."

Even in countries where the Christian presence is very small,
activities supported by ROACO can bear witness to "the communion
of love proper to the universal Catholic Church," the Holy Father
said. He pointed to the examples of Armenia and Georgia, countries
that were "among the first to receive the light of Christ." Pope
Benedict reminded the ROACO group that Cardinal Leonardo Sandri,
the prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, had recently
visited the Holy Land to tell Catholics there that their welfare is
"vital for the entire Church."

The Pope concluded his talk with a appeal to the world’s political
leaders "that the Middle East– in particular the Holy Land, Lebanon,
and Iraq– may be offered its longed-for peace and social stability,
while respecting the fundamental rights of the person, including that
of real religious freedom."