Italy: Iraqi PM to meet Pope on official visit
Rome, 23 July (AKI) - Pope Benedict XVI will meet Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki on Friday for the first time during his official visit to Italy.Al-Maliki is due to arrive in Rome on Thursday to meet his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi on the second leg of his European visit after talks with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin on Tuesday.
The Iraqi prime minister will meet the Pope at the pontiff's summer residence at Castelgandolfo, outside Rome.
He will then hold separate talks with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state.
Iraq is home to the Chaldean Catholic Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, and al-Maliki's visit comes at a time when Iraqi Christians are exposed to grave risks.
Hundreds and thousands of Christians have been forced to leave Iraq to flee the violence and the economic crisis caused by the war.
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 12:03 PM
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