Rome, Italy, Feb 23, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The Vatican is urging Islamic countries to show more tolerance towards Christian minorities after riots in Turkey and Nigeria saw two priests murdered and left 146 Christians and Muslims dead.
The violence erupted in response to the cartoons of Mohammed that appeared in a Danish newspaper in the fall and which have been reprinted in other newspapers since then.
After criticizing both the cartoons and the violent protests in Muslim countries, the Vatican has restated the Church’s longtime concern that the rights of people of other faiths are severely limited in Muslim states.
In a meeting Monday with the new Moroccan ambassador to the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI said peace can only be assured through "respect for the religious convictions and practices of others, in a reciprocal way in all societies".