"May all people follow the ways of peace, so as to build a fair and tolerant society in the beloved land of Iraq". This is the wish voiced yesterday by the Pope, in the telegram of condolence for the killing last Saturday in Baghdad of the priest Yousef Adel Abudi of the Syro-Orthodox Church, sent by Benedict XVI to the Syro-Orthodox archbishop of Baghdad, through the Apostolic Nunciature to Iraq. In the telegram, signed by card. Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, the Holy Father says he is "deeply aggrieved" by the "tragic death" of the priest and gave his "most heart-felt sympathy" to his wife and family. At the same time, the Pope ensures he is "close in prayer" to the archbishop, the priests and the religious people, invoking, for "the soul of this devout servant of God, the infinite mercy of the Lord".
