Vatican Secretary of State speaks with Condoleezza Rice about Christians in Middle East, Iraq

Nashville, Tenn., Aug 8, 2007 / 15:30 pm

In a press conference this afternoon, Cardinal Bertone spoke about his recent conversation with the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. According to the Cardinal, they talked mainly about the plight of Christians in the Middle East—in Iraq and in Lebanon.

He thanked the Secretary of State for her untiring efforts to bring peace to the region and told her that the angels accompanied her flights and efforts. 

“If the angels did not accompany her, then she would not be able to knit back together all of these relationships that have been so fragile.”

Bertone said that he hopes to continue their discussions by “a future visit of Condoleezza Rice to Rome.”

Speaking about the war in Iraq, the Cardinal proposed roundtable discussions at an international level as a way to bring the world out of this “critical moment.” He pointed out that “we are not in a blind alley, but that it is a critical moment [in Iraq].”