30 Oct. 2013: Pope Francis made another call for peace in Syria at the close of
his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday. The Holy Father, who has
made several calls for peace in Syria, ever since the conflict broke out there, called
on everyone to continue to pray for peace in that turbulent nation. He said, “I
invite you all to pray for the dear nation of Iraq, unfortunately affected daily by
tragic episodes of violence, in order that Iraq might find the way that leads to reconciliation,
peace, unity and stability.” Attending the general audience were Iraqi civil
authorities and representatives of the various religious groups which the Pope said
“constitute the richness of the country.” The Iraqi delegation was accompanied by
the President of Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal
Jean-Louis Tauran. At least a dozen incidents have claimed scores of lives in
Iraq this past weekend - the latest in a wave of deadly violence that has been on
the rise since April of this year Source: Sedoc