Benedict XVI Raises Issue of Iraqi Christians in Meeting with George Bush

CNN has coverage of the Pope's meeting with President Bush today, including an online video that runs for about 3 minutes.  Asia News also has an article posted.  During the meeting, they discussed the president's meetings at the G8 summit that concluded yesterday. 

During the televised portion of the meeting, Bush mentioned the U.S. plan to increase contributions to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa.  During the summit, 6 nations, including the U.S., agreed to commit a total of $60 billion for that purpose.  However, activists have objected that a commitment to spend $25 billion for that purpose by 2010 was already made 2 years ago, and only $2.3 billion of that sum has ever been delivered.  Delivery of increased funds will thus mark a significant achievement in international cooperation.

On June 1, the bishops of 7 leading countries, including all of the G8 countries except Italy, signed a letter to the G8 leaders calling for their attention to the poverty in Africa, as then reported by Zenit.  At the conclusion of Wednesday's general audience, the Pope also appealed to the G8 leaders for development aid to poor countries, especially Africa.  The Pope mentioned educational assistance in particular, mentioning a previous commitment of leading nations to provide for an elementary school education for all children by 2015.  Catholic Relief Services has significant ongoing work in the continent of Africa, and African bishops have had recent ad limina visits to the Vatican, drawing additional attention to the situation in their countries.  The Pope's prayer intentions for June specifically mention the Church in northern Africa.

As expected, the Pope raised the issue of the situation facing Christians in Iraq.  Recent kidnappings and  the recent killing of a Chaldean priest and his subdeacons in Iraq have drawn particular attention to the persecution of Christians in Iraq.  Asia News has a dossier of articles on the Church in Iraq.  In addition, Sandro Magister has featured articles about the Iraqi Church in his recent online reporting at www.chiesa.

The Patriarch for the Chaldeans, Emmanuel III Delly, recently appealed for an end to the persecution, placing blame on both internal conflicts among Iraqis who are each fighting for their own personal interests, and external forces including the U.S. troops in particular.  He stated, "External persecution is that which has affected the very dignity of all the Iraqi people, whose mosques, churches and institutions have been destroyed or occupied, without any respect for their faith."  He mentioned the Baghdad facility of Babel College, a Catholic school that was taken over for use by U.S. troops without consent and without compensation.  Iraqi Christians reacted to the unusual statement by the patriarch with hope, saying that they were finally doing something other than waiting in silence for Christianity to be driven out of Iraq or destroyed.

The Vatican issued a statement following their meeting mentioning the subjects discussed, which also included the Israeli-Palestinian question, Lebanon, Latin America, human rights and religious freedom, the defense and promotion of life, marriage and family, the education of the young, and sustainable development.