Pope says he rejoiced with Iraqis when they won Asian soccer tourney

Published: 2007-08-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said he rejoiced with the people of Iraq when Iraq beat the favored Saudi Arabia 1-0 to win the Asian Cup soccer tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the end of his weekly general audience Aug. 1, the pope said he wanted to remark on "good news relative to Iraq, which generated a popular explosion of joy in the entire country." The July 29 win, by a team made up of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, was "a historic success for Iraq, which has become the champion of Asian soccer for the first time," the pope said. Sunnis and Shiites form the largest branches of Islam, while Kurds are a smaller segment in northern Iraq. Pope Benedict said he was impressed by the "contagious enthusiasm" of the people of Iraq, adding that, "just as I cried many times with the Iraqis, on this occasion I rejoiced with them." Pope Benedict said the reaction of the Iraqi public to the soccer win demonstrated "the desire of the people to have a normal and serene life."

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