Pope condemns attacks against Christians, Italian riots

(January 11, 2009) Pope Benedict called on political and religious authorities on Sunday to prevent violence against Christians, in an apparent reference to recent attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt. "Violence against Christians ... has caused indignation among many people, particularly because it has taken place on the most sacred days of the Christian tradition," Pope Benedict told a large crowd that gathered in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square to pray the weekly midday “Angelus” with him. Six Coptic Christians were killed in drive-by shootings in the town of Nagaa Hamady in southern Egypt on Jan. 6, just before midnight on Coptic Christmas Eve. Although the Holy Father did not mention any specific country, his comments were seen as referring to attacks not only in Egypt but also in Malaysia and Algeria. Several churches in Malaysia were firebombed as controversy rages over whether non-Muslims can use the word "Allah" for God. In Algeria, Muslims blocked Christians from holding a Christmas service. "It is necessary that both political and religious authorities do not fail to live up to their responsibilities," the Pope said. "We cannot have violence in the name of God," he added.
Pope Benedict also denounced the riots last week between immigrants and Italians in southern Italy, saying that migrants have rights, must be respected, and are equally loved by God. “I invite everyone to look in the face of the other and discover that there is a soul, a history, a life, a person whom God loves as he loves me,” the Pope said. The clashes started on Thursday, when a gang of white youths in a car fired air rifles at a group of African immigrants returning from work on farms, injuring two of them. The attack set off a night of rioting by dozens of Africans, who smashed car windows with steel bars and stones and set cars and rubbish bins on fire. Dozens were injured in the two days of clashes. “Every migrant is a human being - different because of origin, culture and tradition - but a person to be respected and having rights, particularly in work, where the temptation to exploit is easy,” Pope Benedict said. The Pope said immigrants to Italy were looking for a better life in a country that needs them, yet he also denounced the recourse to riot, saying: “Violence must never, for anyone, be the way to resolve differences.”