The appeal to the international community for "a strong leadership" to "find the ways to reconciliation, talks and peace" in the Middle East and respond to the needs of the Iraqi evacuees and refugees (over 2 million in the country and as many abroad): it was made by mgr. Silvano M. Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva. His speech, on April 17th at the International Conference convened by the High Commission of the UN for the Refugees, has been published by the Newsroom today. In Iraq, "dying seems easier than living", he said as he took stock of the "unprecedented wave of hatred and destruction", which has had "a lethal impact all over the middle-eastern region". According to mgr. Tomasi, with 4 million refugees and 40-50,000 Iraqis leaving their homes every month, today "the international community must take responsibility for protecting and assisting them", including the Iraqi Christians, who are suffering serious consequences: "Where war and violence have destroyed the social fabric and the unity of Iraq he stated , conscientious political choices and indiscriminate humanitarian work would be the first steps to reinstate unity in pluralism".
