Pope meets Pakistan president
at summer retreat
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy – The Pope and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met Thursday in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.
The Vatican says Benedict XVI and the President discussed the need to end religious discrimination during a meeting at the papal summer retreat.
Tensions have flared in recent months between Pakistan's Muslim minority and its religious minorities. In one case, eight Christians were burned to death by a Muslim mob after reports that a Quran had been desecrated.
The Vatican said the two stressed "the need to overcome all forms of discrimination based on religious affiliation, with the aim of promoting respect for the rights of all."
Non-Muslims make up less than 5 percent of Pakistan's 175 million people.
The Vatican communique, issued in Italian and English, after the meeting:
Today in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Asif Ali Zardari, president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. President Zardari subsequently went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
The cordial discussions provided an opportunity to examine the current situation in Pakistan, with particular reference to the fight against terrorism and the commitment to create a society more tolerant and harmonious in all its aspects.
Talk then turned to the positive role played by the Catholic Church in the social life of the country through her educational, healthcare and aid activities. Evoking recent episodes of violence against Christian communities in some localities, and the elements that have favoured such serious incidents, emphasis was given to the need to overcome all forms of discrimination based on religious affiliation, with the aim of promoting respect for the rights of all citizens.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 01/10/2009 19:37]