Baghdad (AsiaNews) - Pope John Paul II will meet next week with Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi at the Vatican. Mgsr Emmanuel Delly, Chaldean Patriarch in Baghdad told AsiaNews that  Mr Allawi will go to the Vatican "next week". News agencies in Rome, quoting Vatican sources, said the meeting between John Paul II and the Iraqi Prime Minister will be held on the 4th of November.

John Paul staunchly opposed the U.S.-led war against Iraq. But he strongly supports the reconstruction of the country. On Wednesday he condemned hostage-taking and the "blind barbarity of terrorism" striking innocent people in Iraq and asked all Christian "to rebuild the institutional structures of their county", together with the other religious communities

Yesterday, 29 October, a delegation of  Iraqi Christian Churches, , went to visit the Great Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani in Najaf. Chaldean Patriarch Msgr Emmanuel Delly was among the delegates. The representatives talked about security and other aspects for the rebuilding of the country such as the preparation to the elections planned in January 2005.