Pope Francis on Sunday (June 15) said he was "deeply concerned" for
Iraq and called for security and hope for all Iraqis, regardless of their religious affiliation.
The pope, addressing huge crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square for his weekly Angelus prayer, called on the faithful to join him in prayer for Iraq.
"I am following the events of the past days in Iraq with deep concern. I ask you all to join me in prayer for the dear nation of Iraq, especially for the victims and for those who most suffer the consequences of the rising wave of violence, in particular the many people, including many Christians, who have had to leave their homes. My hope is for the entire population to have security and peace and a future of reconciliation and justice where all Iraqis, regardless of their religious affiliation, can build together their homeland, making it a model of coexistence," the pope said.
An offensive by Sunni insurgents that threatens to dismember Iraq seemed to slow on Saturday (June 14) after days of lightning advances as government forces regained some territory in counter-attacks, easing pressure on the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad.
The rapid seizure of Mosul, one of Iraq's largest cities, by insurgents led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, and the Kurds' takeover of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk this week have raised concerns internationally about the split of the country, as government forces have abandoned their posts.
The pope also said his first trip to a European country would be to Albania in September to pay tribute to those who suffered under communism.
He will make a day trip to Tirana, the capital of one of Europe's poorest countries, on September 21, Francis said.
"I would like to announce today that, accepting the invitation of the bishops and civil authorities of Albania, I intend to visit Tirana on Sunday, September 21. With this short trip I would like to confirm the faith of the Church in Albania and demonstrate my encouragement and love for a country that has long suffered as a result of the ideologies of the past," Francis said as pilgrims in the crowd waved Albanian flags.
According to the Vatican spokesman the pope wanted his first trip in Europe to be to a "country on the margins" with a past of social and religious persecution and continuing poverty.
Former dictator Enver Hoxha proclaimed Albania, for decades one of the world's most isolated countries, the world's first atheist state in 1967. Many mosques, churches and religious libraries were destroyed and imams and priests were arrested.
Communism collapsed in Albania in 1992 and the late Pope John Paul II visited the following year.
Francis, elected in March 2013, has made two international trips, to Brazil and the Middle East. He is due to visit South Korea in August and Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January.
REUTERS