Pope Shenouda's apology for not visiting Baghdad

A source at the Egyptian Coptic Church has stressed that Pope Shenouda has apologized for not being able to visit Baghdad at the meantime, at an invitation he had received from the Patriarchy of the Catholic Keldans to attend the Christian peace conference due to be held in Baghdad in the mid of May.

The source, which is close to the Pope said in a statement to the London Ð based al-Sharq- al-Awsat daily issued on Friday that the current conditions in Iraq makes the travel of the Pope under the current conditions unsuitable so as his travel to Baghdad will be used for political purposes that do not help in establishing peace in the region, rather set the situation ablaze.