Pope meets relatives of Britons slain by ISIS
Relatives of David Haines and Barbara Henning both met the pope
Relatives of two British hostages killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have met Pope Francis as part of efforts to unite people of different faiths to oppose religious extremism.
Michael Haines, whose brother David was killed in September, and Barbara Henning, whose husband Alan was killed the following month, were brought up to greet Francis on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica after his rain-soaked general audience Wednesday.
Usually such access is reserved for visiting prelates.
Michael Haines said the moment “took my breath away.” In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, he said the pope “said he was going to pray for me to continue the work that we’re doing on unity and tolerance and bringing our communities together.”
-
Pope decries beheading of Egyptian Christians in Libya
The pontiff departed from the script of a Monday address to emphasize the unity of all Christians Middle East -
Pope denounces ‘intolerable brutality’ in Iraq, Syria
‘We want to assure all those who find themselves in these situations that we have not forgotten them,’ the pope said Middle East -
Pope sees ‘shadows and dangers’ amid Vatican attack fears
Security was tightened in Saint Peter’s Square in September after intelligence services intercepted a possible plan to attack the Vatican World News -
‘Hey, I have a bomb’: Prank at Pope’s mass in Manila leads to arrests
"Hey, I've got a bomb. Why didn't you detect it?" Variety -
Globetrotting Pope Francis to travel to Latin America
Bolivia’s Morales hopes the pope can play a role in resolving a longstanding maritime dispute with Chile World News