Baghdad (Fides Service) - During a meeting with Iraqi Christian leaders, including Catholic Bishop Matti Shama Matoka of Baghdad in the capital on April 16, the Prime Minister of Iraq leading Shiite Ibrahim Al-Jafari showed great esteem and respect for Christian Churches. The Premier assured the Christian leaders of the respect of all the civil authorities for Christian and Muslim leaders and congratulated the Christian communities for “respecting the law and loving their country”. Al-Jafari said that Christians of all confessions are fully part of the Iraqi people with their historic and cultural roots. He promised that Christians will be treated with respect and as equal citizens in the new Iraq. He also said he would do his best to solve the problems of discrimination in the past with regard to Christian and Muslim schools nationalised by Saddam Hussein.
Meeting earlier among themselves the Christian leaders said “we are members of the same Mother the Church, and children of the One God, promising to put divisions of the past aside and to live united in the future in faith in the Risen Christ and seeing to the necessities of all the Christian communities in the country.” (AE) (Agenzia Fides 19/4/2005 righe 26 parole 265)