Letter from fr. Carlos Azpiroz Costa to Pope Benedict XVI on
Behalf of Christians in Iraq
24 May 2007
Feast of the Translation of Our Holy Father Saint Dominic

To His Holiness Benedict XVI

Your Holiness,

This letter comes with an appreciation for your continuing efforts denouncing war as the worst solution for human conflict. In particular, I thank you for your messages appealing for an end to the brutal violence in Iraq. Our Dominican Family, which has been in Iraq over 250 years, has hundreds of members among the Christian minority in Iraq. There are two apostolic congregations of Sisters, a Vicariate of Friars, and several hundred Laity.
 
I am writing to ask for your personal intervention and that of the Holy See on the Government of Iraq, the United Nations, the coalition armies and militant factions there to assure the protection of Iraq’s ancient Christian community. This community is under daily threat and have neither the protection of the government nor of the coalition forces.

Your Holiness, I respectfully ask you to mention this concern to President Bush during his planned meeting with you in June.  The protection of Iraq’s Christian minority should be on the agenda of the G-8 nations’ meeting, 6–8 June 2007 in Germany.  In your 16 December 2006 letter to Dr Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and current President of the G-8, you recommended a number of priority tasks for the G-8 nations, acknowledging the link between extreme poverty and world peace and security. The security, and the future, of our Dominican Family members and the entire Christian community in Iraq is of grave concern to the international Dominican Family in 101 nations of the world.

I thank you, Holy Father, for your continuing efforts on behalf of all the Christians in Iraq.

Faithfully yours,

Brother Carlos Azpiroz Costa OP
Master of the Order of Preachers

Carlos Azpiroz Costa, OP
Convento Santa Sabina
Piazza Pietro d’Illiria 1
00153 Roma
ITALY
011.39.06.57.94.0.1