Sako advises making concessions.. The Pope is concerned about the situation in Iraq and prays to the

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[size=52]Sako advises making concessions.. The Pope is concerned about the situation in Iraq and prays to the people for peace[/size]

[size=45]Yesterday, Wednesday, Pope Francis expressed his concern over the events in Iraq, wishing the people peace.[/size]
[size=45]This comes at a time when Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldeans in Iraq and the world, welcomed the calls for calm, calling on the blocs to make concessions.[/size]
[size=45]"I am following with concern the violent events that have occurred in Baghdad during the past few days," the Pope said at the end of his weekly general public interview on Wednesday. Let us pray to God and ask Him to grant the Iraqi people the gift of peace.”[/size]
[size=45]The pontiff added, as quoted by the Vatican's media website: "Last year, I was happy to visit the Iraqis, and I felt closely the great desire to return to normal life and peaceful coexistence between the various religious groups that make up Iraqi society."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "Dialogue and brotherhood are the path to be followed in order to face the current difficulties and reach the desired goal."[/size]
[size=45]The Pope had made a historic visit to Iraq last year that lasted four days, during which he attended many religious rituals in Baghdad, Erbil and Mosul. He also met with the supreme religious authority, Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, and then held a unified prayer in the ancient city of Ur in Dhi Qar Governorate.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako praised the position of the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, while calling for finding real solutions in response to the aspirations of the people.[/size]
[size=45]In a statement received by Al-Mada, Sako said, "We commend the position of His Eminence Muqtada Al-Sadr, who showed courage and humanitarian and national responsibility, in his call to stop violence and withdraw from the Green Zone in order to save blood."[/size]
[size=45]He expressed his hope that "other parties will make concessions for the sake of Iraq and the Iraqis, and adopt rationality and calm in finding real solutions that respond to the citizens' aspirations for peace, security, stability, economic prosperity and a decent life."[/size]
[size=45]Earlier, the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, called for overcoming the obstacles facing Christians in the country. The Presidency of the Republic said in a statement issued last week, "The President of the Republic, Barham Salih, received Sako and a number of bishops of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world." With the “recommendations of the conference that are keen on the homeland and support peaceful coexistence.”[/size]
[size=45]Saleh added that "the Christians of Iraq are an authentic component, and they stood by their brothers from all sects to face challenges," noting that "there are some issues and obstacles facing them in the country and they must be overcome and not tolerated, and that the transgressions that affect them are condemned and rejected by all Iraqis."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "the need to ensure the real participation of Christians in political, social and cultural life without discrimination, and the need to establish the principle of citizenship, justice and equal opportunities, so that Christians and the rest of the components contribute to shaping the country's present and future."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Sako expressed his "thanks and appreciation to the President of the Republic, for his follow-up and continuous support for Christians in the country, his contribution to solving many of the issues and obstacles they faced, and his role in establishing social coexistence among all components of the people."[/size]
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