Pope condemns violence that leaves hundreds dead in Iraq, Nigeria

Published: 2006-02-27

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI condemned the recent violence that left mosques and churches destroyed and hundreds dead in Iraq and Nigeria. God will be severe in judging those who kill in his name, the pope said at a noon blessing Feb. 26. "The fruits of faith in God are not devastating antagonisms, but a spirit of fraternity and cooperation for the common good. God, the creator and father of all, will call to account even more severely those who spill the blood of their brother in his name," he told tens of thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. The pope's comments came after the bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine known as the Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, an act that prompted a wave of violence between Muslim groups that left more than 200 people dead. In Nigeria, the pope noted, conflict between Christians and Muslims had continued for several days. The violence was set off by a Muslim demonstration against the publication of cartoons satirical of Islam.

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