"An appeal to effective and public solidarity with the persecuted Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere across the world". It was made today by card. Camillo Ruini, the Pope’s vicar for the diocese of Rome, in the last part of his speech at the European meeting of university lecturers promoted by Ccee. "In the same spirit in which we work for peace and fraternity between the men and peoples of every religion, we cannot be indifferent to the fate of the populations that only ask to be able to remain in their lands, faithful to Jesus Christ", stated the cardinal, who used "the words uttered yesterday by the Patriarch of Baghdad, Emmanuel Delly, that resonate with those of many bishops of the Middle East and above all with Benedict XVI, as well as the invitation to a public rally that has been promoted by Magdi Allam". Questioned by SIR yesterday, Delly had mentioned that Christians are escaping from the North of the country and had asked to help them go back home sooner or later; even today the Pope expressed his solidarity with the Iraqi Christians, during the audience with the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, card. Daoud, and the members of Roaco (Association of bodies in aid of the astern Churches).
