The pope has closed a summit organized by the Vatican which was attended by dozens of experts and religious representatives from the Middle East. The topic they faced is one of the most painful dramas of the present times.
“We are gathered for an annual meeting on the crisis in Syria, Iraq and the surrounding countries.”
From Rome, the Pope reiterated his request to the International Community to help the punished Christian community and the thousands of refugees who have left their homes because of war and persecution.
POPE FRANCIS
“As I have recalled on other occasions, there is a risk that the Christian presence will be erased from the place from which the light of the Gospel spread throughout the world.” “We cannot close our eyes to the causes that have forced millions of people to leave their own land in pain.”
Among those present was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
The United Nations already issued an alert in July warning that in southern Syria some 270,000 people had been forced to flee because of troop movements.
In Iraq the situation is delicate. Despite the fact that more than 3 million people have been able to return to their homes, the political situation is seriously unstable.
