Pope remembers, Iraqi Christians, road accident victims, cloistered religious

(November 22, 2010) Pope Benedict on Sunday recalled the persecution and discrimination that Iraq’s Christians are facing, comparing them to the suffering of Christ on the cross. Speaking after reciting his weekly midday ‘Angelus’ prayer with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope touched asked everyone present to join him in “the prayer promoted by Italian bishops for the Christians of Iraq who are subject to persecution and discrimination”. "I am near to these brothers and sisters through great witness of faith that they bear to God," the Holy Father assured. At the same time, he called for “religious freedom everywhere in the world.” Pope Benedict also recalled Sunday’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims marked on the third Sunday of November. “As I pledge that I shall remember them in my prayers, I encourage everyone to be committed to prevention, which is already achieving some good results, always aware that prudence and respect for the rules are the first means to protect oneself and others,” the Pope urged. Sunday was also the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a day in which the Church expresses its closeness with cloistered nuns and monks. The Church “urges everyone once more to support concretely these communities,” the Pope said.