Vatican City, Sep 15, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Pope Benedict XVI energetically denounced the latest attacks in Iraq, which have left more than 100 dead, and he expressed his hope that harmony would soon be restored to the country.
In a telegram sent in his name by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Pontiff expressed his sincere condolences, prayers and hopes that “all believers in the one God would unite in rejecting all forms of violence and collaborate in the restoring of harmony to the troubled Iraqi land.”
In the message, which was addressed to the Apostolic Nuncio in Iraq, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, Pope Benedict expressed his sorrow at the massacre of numerous pilgrims who were gathered at a Shiite mosque for a religious commemoration. After entrusting the victims to divine mercy, the Holy Father assured the Iraqi people of his prayers that “a climate of reconciliation and of mutual trust” would finally be established in the country.