Pope meets with Iraqi foreign minister
Associated Press
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI and Iraq's foreign minister met Thursday and discussed the country's draft constitution, as well as the importance of ensuring religious freedom in Iraq, the Vatican said.
The meeting with Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was held at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, a town in the hills outside Rome where Benedict has been spending the summer. Zebari also met with the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
The talks focused on the current situation in Iraq, particularly the "important theme" of religious freedom, as well as the text of Iraq's new constitution, the Vatican said in a statement.
"It was underlined how the reconstruction of institutions must occur in a climate of dialogue that sees all religious groups and various components of society involved," said a statement from the Vatican deputy spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini.
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