Pope Prays for Peace and Harmony Between Christians and Muslims in Iraq

Pope Benedict XVI prayed for peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims in Iraq yesterday, saying both faiths had lived together in the country for 14 centuries "as children of the same land".

This follow's Pope Benedict's meeting with Muslim envoys at his summer residence near Rome to defuse the lingering anger over recent remarks he made on Islam.

In the prayer, the Pope referred to the 'tragic reality' of violence in Iraq and said he hoped that 'the ties of brotherhood' between Christians and Muslims would not slacken.

On Saturday, the Pope met with the Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Emmanuel Delly, who is campaigning for the release of a priest who was kidnapped in the Iraqi capital.

Around 3 per cent of Iraq's 26 million people are Christians, with the major denominations including Chaldean-Assyrians, Armenians and Roman Catholics.

Al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri ,in a video broadcast on Saturday, had slammed Pope Benedict as an 'imposter' over his recent controversial remarks about Islam.

Last week, the Pope said Christians and Muslims had to learn from the past and work for a better future.

"I sincerely pray that the relations of trust which have developed between Christians and Muslims over several years, will not only continue, but will develop further in a spirit of sincere and respectful dialogue ...," he said.