Catholic Church beatifies 19 slain clerics in Algeria's Oran

France24 –AFP,  8 Dec 2018

French Catholic monk Brother Jean-Pierre Schumacher (L) greets a man ahead
of the beatification ceremony for 19 Catholic clergy in Agleria's northwestern city
of Oran on Saturday French Catholic monk Brother Jean-Pierre Schumacher (L)
greets a man ahead of the beatification ceremony for 19 Catholic clergy in
Agleria's northwestern city of Oran on Saturday AFP

The Catholic Church beatified in the city of Oran on Saturday seven French monks and 12 other clergy killed during Algeria's civil war, the first ceremony of its kind in a Muslim nation.

May "Monsignor Pierre Claverie... and his 18 companions, faithful messengers of the Gospel, humble artisans of peace... from now on be called blessed," said papal envoy Cardinal Angelo Becciu, reading the decree of beatification, the first step on the path to Roman Catholic sainthood.

Claverie, 58, was killed with his driver on August 1, 1996 when a remote-controlled bomb exploded at his residence in Oran.

He was among 19 clergy to be beatified, after their murders in a series of grisly atrocities between 1994 and 1996.

The ceremony was held under tight security at the esplanade of the Chapel of our Lady of Santa Cruz overlooking the Mediterranean city.

Some 1,200 people attended the ceremony, including pilgrims, relatives and friends of the beatified, many of whom came from abroad.

Opening the ceremony, Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers paid tribute to "the thousands and thousands of victims of the Algerian civil war", describing them as anonymous heroes.

A minute of silence was then observed.

Algeria's 1991-2002 war between government forces and Islamists left up to 200,000 people dead.

In a message read during the ceremony by Becciu, Pope Francis spoke of his hope that "this celebration helps to heal the wounds of the past and create a new dynamic of meeting and living together".

The 19 clergy were declared martyrs by the Vatican in January 2018, since they were slain "in odium fidei", or out of hatred for the faith.

Pope Francis himself spoke of the beatification in prayers at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican on Saturday.

"May this beatification be an incentive for all to build a world of fraternity and solidarity together", the pope said.

In Rome, C. Africa govt inks peace deal with rebel groups

Yahoo – AFP, June 19, 2017

L-R: National Convergence Kwa Na Kwa party general secretary Bertin Bea,
Republic of Central Africa foreign minister Charles Armel Doubaned and
Central African president political advisor George Isidore Alphonse Dibert
pose on June 19, 2017 in Rome (AFP Photo/FILIPPO MONTEFORTE)

Rome (AFP) - The Central African Republic's government on Monday signed an "immediate ceasefire" deal with rebel groups at a meeting in Rome aimed at ending violence in the strife-torn country.

The accord, negotiated over five days, was hailed as a precious chance to stabilise one of the world's most volatile and poorest countries.

Under it, armed groups will be given representation in the political arena in exchange for an end to attacks and blockades, and their members will be brought into the country's armed forces.

"We commit to the immediate implementation by political-military groups of a country-wide ceasefire, to be monitored by the international community, as a fundamental step on the way to definitive peace," the deal read.

"The government undertakes to ensure military groups are represented at all levels" and are "recognised as part of the reconstruction efforts", it said.

The accord was brokered by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a group rooted in the Catholic church that promotes dialogue with other religions and non-believers. It has been an active mediator in many African conflicts.

The rebel groups pledged to ensure "the free movement of people and goods by removing illegal barriers as an immediate consequence of the ceasefire".

State authority

The signatories also committed to "restoring the (authority of the) state across the national territory."

One of the world's poorest nations, CAR has been struggling to recover from a civil war between the Muslim and Christian militias that started in 2013 when President Francois Bozize was overthrown by a coalition of Muslim-majority rebel groups called the Seleka.

They in turn were ousted by a military intervention led by former colonial ruler France.

Those events sparked the bloodiest sectarian violence in the country's history as mainly Christian militias sought revenge.

Christians, who account for about 80 percent of the population, organised vigilante units dubbed "anti-balaka", in reference to the machetes used by the rebels.

The signatories of Monday's agreement included various factions of the Seleka as well as Christian and animist groups.

Members of armed groups will be "integrated" into the country's armed forces, "in line with pre-established criteria" and after an "upgrade," according to the deal.

Sant'Egidio's president Marco Impagliazzo described the accord as "an historic agreement, a deal full of hope".

CAR's foreign minister, Charles Armel Doubane, echoed those remarks, speaking of a "day of hope" for the country.

The UN's special representative on CAR, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga of Gabon, who is also head of the UN's stabilisation force there, attended the talks. Several heads of CAR political parties also took part.

The agreement announced on Monday comes against a backdrop of mounting concern.

Last month, the UN's humanitarian coordination agency OCHA reported on an "alarming" rise in violence, with "clashes (that) have taken an increasingly religious and ethnic connotation,."

It said the number of internally displaced people is now over half a million for the first time since August 2014, while a further 400,000, out of a population of 4.5 million, had fled to neighbouring countries.

The country's armed forces are estimated to number about 8,000, backed by 900 French troops and 10,000 troops and 2,000 civilians serving in a UN force called MINUSCA.

They have stabilised the situation, but around half the country -- which covers almost 623,000 square kilometres (241,000 square miles), a little less than Afghanistan or Chile -- remains outside government control.

Pope Francis pleads for 'holy' peace during Egypt visit

Yahoo – AFP, Samer Al-Atrush and Catherine Marciano, April 28, 2017

Pope Francis and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi chat with officials
after meeting in Cairo on April 28, 2017 (AFP Photo/KHALED DESOUKI)

Cairo (AFP) - Pope Francis pleaded for peace in a visit to Egypt on Friday as he attended a service in solidarity with the embattled Coptic minority at a church bombed by the Islamic State group.

The pontiff walked to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church in Cairo in a procession led by standard-bearing clergy, after meeting Coptic Pope Tawadros II at his headquarters.

Security forces in the capital were on high alert under a state of emergency following a series of church bombings claimed by IS.

On April 9, the jihadists bombed two churches in the Arab world's most populous country, killing 45 people in the deadliest attack on Copts in recent memory.

Last December, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church was itself targeted by a suicide bomber in an attack that killed 29 people.

Francis had earlier met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of the Al-Azhar institution, one of Muslim world's leading authorities, to push for dialogue between the two faiths.

In a speech to a Muslim-Christian conference, the 80-year-old pontiff denounced violence and populism.

"Peace alone... is holy and no act of violence can be perpetrated in the name of God, for it would profane his name," Francis said.

He criticised what he called "demagogic forms of populism... on the rise", saying they were unhelpful to peace.

Francis shuttled from one engagement to another in a closed car under heavy guard on the first day of his tightly scheduled 27-hour trip.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and Pope Francis embrace

 during his visit to the prestigious Sunni Muslim institution in Cairo on April 28, 

2017 (AFP Photo/STRINGER)

'Innocent blood'

Police and soldiers stood guard outside the Vatican residence in Cairo and armoured cars were stationed outside the Coptic Orthodox Saint Mark's Cathedral, where Tawadros II's headquarters are located.

Francis met the Coptic pope at his offices where the two exchanged gifts.

"Our church and nation has been through a painful experience in the past few months when the sinful hand of terrorism reached out to murder praying innocents," Tawadros said in a speech at the meeting.

"Their innocent blood unites us," Francis said in turn.

They signed an ecumenical agreement to no longer require Catholics to be rebaptised if they choose to become Orthodox, as often happens in Egypt.

He and Tawadros then walked in procession to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church, where they sat near the altar as a choir sang hymns to clashing cymbals.

Hours before the church visit, Francis became the first Roman Catholic pope to visit the head of Al-Azhar in his Cairo headquarters, sealing a recent improvement in relations between Catholicism and Islam.

In another speech with Sisi in the audience, Francis expressed support for Egypt's military campaign against IS which bombed the churches and has also killed hundreds of police and troops.

But he also insisted on "unconditional respect for inalienable human rights such as equality among all citizens, religious freedom and freedom of expression".

Sisi has faced heavy criticism from rights groups for abuses since he led the military ouster of his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Security is extremely tight in Cairo for the pope's visit (AFP Photo/

MOHAMED EL-SHAHED)

'Pilgrim of peace'

Before disembarking from his aircraft in Cairo, Francis had told reporters his visit was a "journey of unity and fraternity. Less than two days but very intense."

His meeting with Tayeb, he said, would "be an example and a model for peace precisely because it will be a meeting of dialogue".

"Please pray for my journey tomorrow as a pilgrim of peace to Egypt," Francis tweeted on the eve of his departure.

Before his visit, some roads had been festooned with posters showing Francis against the backdrop of the Pyramids, with a message that read: "Pope of peace in the Egypt of peace."

John Paul II was the last pope to have visited Egypt in 2000, with his arrival also coming weeks after anti-Christian violence that killed about 20 Copts in January that year.

Vatican dialogue with the Muslim world, a priority for this pope, was set back significantly when Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI made a speech in 2006 in which he was seen as linking Islam to violence.

The now-retired German pontiff's 2011 comments condemning an attack on a Coptic church prompted Al-Azhar to denounce Benedict for meddling in Egypt's affairs.

On Saturday, the pontiff will preside over a mass for the country's small Catholic community, estimated to number around 272,000 spread across various rites.

Egypt's Copts, who make up about 10 percent of the country's population of 92 million, are the Middle East's largest Christian minority and one of the oldest.

But they have suffered attacks throughout the years and many complain that they feel like second-class citizens.

burs-se/srm

Pope Francis leads mass during visit to support Egypt's Christian minority and promote dialogue with Muslims https://t.co/AJSsQBy6LZ pic.twitter.com/2pfnLUndyn

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 29, 2017

Pope: Condom issue is 'morally complicated'

Pope Francis has dismissed a question about condoning condoms in the fight against AIDS, saying that the world is facing bigger issues. The pope left Africa after visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic.

Deutsche Welle, 30 Nov 2015

The Roman pontiff admitted that condom use is "one of the methods" which could prevent the spread of HIV, while talking to journalists aboard the papal plane on Monday.

Francis was flying back to Rome after a five-day tour in Africa, when a reporter asked him if the Catholic Church should allow the use of condoms to combat the spread of AIDS.

The head of the Catholic Church did not provide a definite answer on the "morally complicated" issue, criticizing the question instead.

"I don't like getting into questions or reflections that are so technical when people are dying because they don't have water or food or housing," he told the German reporter, according to the AP news agency.

"The problem is bigger than that," he added.

Pope Francis also pointed to slave labor, environmental exploitation and arms trafficking as some of the more significant problems facing humanity.

Questions like condoms and AIDS can be addressed when the other issues he mentioned are resolved, according to the pontiff.

Abstinence against AIDS

The topic of AIDS and HIV has taken a back seat during the pope's visit to the three African countries.

However, the Vatican chief took the time to visit the HIV-infected children at a Uganda hospital, and thank the church's health care workers for looking after the infected.

AIDS is the number one cause of death among adolescents in Africa.

Francis' predecessor Benedict XVI sparked international criticism during his 2009 Africa visit by saying that condoms could make the AIDS situation worse.

The previous pope later admitted that using condoms was justified in some cases, but insisted they were not a "moral solution."

The Church discourages Catholic believers from using artificial birth control methods. Instead, the Vatican recommends abstinence as a way to stop AIDS.

dj/gsw (AP, AFP, Reuters)

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"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  3 - Longer Life is Going to Happen, But…

Here is one that is a review. We keep bringing it up because Humans don't believe it. If you're going to start living longer, there are those who are frightened that there will be overpopulation. You've seen the way it is so far, and the geometric progression of mathematics is absolute and you cannot change it. So if you look at the population of the earth and how much it has shifted in the last two decades, it's frightening to you. What would change that progression?

The answer is simple, but requires a change in thinking. The answer is a civilization on the planet who understands a new survival scenario. Instead of a basic population who has been told to have a lot of children to enhance the race [old survival], they begin to understand the logic of a new scenario. The Akashic wisdom of the ages will start to creep in with a basic survival scenario shift. Not every single woman will look at herself and say, "The clock is ticking," but instead can say, "I have been a mother 14 times in a row. I'm going to sit this one out." It's a woman who understands that there is no loss or guilt in this, and actually feels that the new survival attribute is to keep the family small or not at all! Also, as we have said before, even those who are currently ignorant of population control will figure out what is causing babies to be born [Kryon joke].

Part of the new Africa will be education and healing, and eventually a zero population growth, just like some of the first-world nations currently have. Those who are currently tied to a spiritual doctrine will actually have that doctrine changed (watch for it) regarding Human birth. Then they will be able to make free choice that is appropriate even within the establishment of organized religion. You see, things are going to change where common sense will say, "Perhaps it would help the planet if I didn't have children or perhaps just one child." Then the obvious, "Perhaps I can exist economically better and be wiser with just one. It will help the one!" Watch for these changes. For those of you who are steeped in the tradition of the doctrines and would say that sounds outrageously impossible, I give you the new coming pope [Kryon smile]. For those of you who feel that uncontrolled procreation is inevitable, I encourage you to see statistics you haven't seen or didn't care to look at yet about what first-world countries have already accomplished on their own, without any mandates. It's already happening. That was number three.….”

'No to hatred, vengeance and violence' Pope tells Central Africans

Pope Francis has wrapped up his first ever trip to Africa by calling for reconciliation in the Central African Republic, which has been wracked for more than two years by violence between Christian and Muslims.

Deutsche Welle, 30 November 2015

"God is great" the jubiliant crowds called out in Arabic to Pope Francis as he drove by in his Popemobile. Francis was on his way to the Koudoukou mosque in PK 5, the Muslim enclave in Bangui, capital of Central African Republic. This was the climax of his six-day tour of Africa, which also took him to Uganda and Kenya.

The mood in Bangui during the papal visit was upbeat, but security was tight. The capital's Muslims have been unable to leave PK5 for months because armed Christian militia fighters have surrounded its perimeter.

But on Monday (30.11.2015) Francis sought to promote reconciliation between the two faiths. Seated inside the mosque, he said Christians and Muslims were brothers and should behave as such. "Together, we say no to hatred, to vengeance and violence, especially that committed in the name of a religion or God."

The Pontiff concluded his remarks with "Salaam" meaning God is peace. It was a gesture appreciated by Bangui's Muslims.

Abdel Aziz Magbadakara, a Bangui iman and Secretary General of the Communuity of Central African Muslims (CICA) told DW ahead of the visit that the pope's presence would contribute to social cohesion in the capital and could bring about reconciliation between Christians and Muslims.

"The message to the two communities in Central African Republic is that we should silence our quarrels in order to welcome our guest," he said.

Almost 4,000 dipslaced persons have
 sought sanctuary in the Saint Sauveur
camp

Those quarrels have the dimensions of a civil war. Central African Republic was plunged into violence in March 2013 when the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels toppled Christian President Francoise Bozizze. That ushered in a brutal reign. When the rebel leader Michel Djotodia left power the following year, anti-balaka Christian militia launched a swift and horrific backlash against Muslim civilians. Before the violence 120,000 Muslims lived in Bangui, now there are just 15,000.

Bangui mass highlight for Catholics

There was always a question mark hanging over the Pope's visit to Central African Republic because of the precarious security situation. An extra 3,000 UN blue helmets and 100 troops from French special forces were deployed to Bangui to ensure the Pope's safety. Yet in spite of concern for his security, the Pope made most of the journey from Bangui airport to the presidential palace for a meeting with interim president Catherin Samba Panza in his open-sided Popemobile.

During a mass at Bangui Cathedral on Sunday evening Francis opened a "holy door," marking the beginning of a Jubilee year dedicated to forgiveness and reconciliation.

In his sermon, Francis appealed to all fighters to lay down their weapons and urged the nation's youth to "always forgive, never hate."

Pope Francis with interim President
 Catherine Samba-Panza. Elections in CAR
 have been postponed until the end
of December

According to the rights group Amnesty International, thousands of Central Africans have been killed in the violence over the last two years. Just a few week ago, renewed clashes left 80 people dead and 400 injured. Parliamentary and presidential elections, originally scheduled for mid-October have been put back until December 27, 2015 because of friction between religious and ethnic groups. It is still uncertain whether they will take place on that date. However, shortly before the Pope arrived all presidential candidates met together for the first time. The meeting in itself was seen as a glimmer of hope for the country.

On Sunday the Pope visited the Saint Saveur refugee camp, which houses 3,700 internally displaced persons. "The conditions here are appalling. Many of the refugees have nothing to eat," camp coordinator Maurice Nguenda told DW. But he said the Pope's visit had boosted his confidence. "We are prepared to work towards reconciliation with our [Muslim] brothers," he said.

Despite the optimism, some believe the Pope's visit will turn out to have been little more than a symbolic gesture. "The Pope can't automatically spread peace wherever he goes," said Ali, a young trader in PK5.

Francis arrived in Central African Republic after paying visits to Uganda and Kenya where hundreds of thousands joined him in celebrating mass. At the United Nations Environment Program in Nairobi he warned of the dangers of letting Paris climate conference fail. It would be catastrophic if particular interests were to prevail over the common good, he said.

Hippolyte Marboua and Jeff Murphy Bares contributed to this report

Pope arrives in Central African Republic on last leg of Africa tour

Pope Francis has arrived in the capital of the Central African Republic, kicking off the last part of his Africa tour. He plans to visit not only Christians displaced by the ongoing violence, but also Muslims.

Deutsche Welle, 29 Nov 2015

Pope in Central African Republic

Pope Francis arrived in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui on Sunday, as a years-long conflict between Christians and Muslims continues to spark bloodshed and massive displacement. The country will be his last stop on a six-day tour of Africa that began with a visit to Kenya and continued with a trip to Uganda.

Shortly before his plane touched down in Bangui, the pope took to Twitter to impart a message to the country.

I come to the Central African Republic as a pilgrim of peace and as an apostle of hope.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 29, 2015

Upon arriving, he called on the country to begin a "new chapter" in its tormented history.

"It is my fervent wish that the various national consultations to be held in coming weeks will enable the country to embark serenely on a new chapter of its history," he said.

Mired in conflict

The capital has seen heavy violence over the last couple of months, fueling speculation that the pontiff would cancel his visit. In preparation for his arrival, security forces patrolled the streets leading to the airport where his plane was expected to land.

The pontiff is expected to first visit a community for displaced Christians, followed then by a visit to a similar community for uprooted Muslims.

The Central African Republic has been mired in conflict since Muslim rebels overthrew Christian president Francois Bozize in 2013. The ensuing violence between Christians and Muslims has divided the country and led to the displacement of some one million people.

Changing 'the negative into the positive'

Since arriving on the continent, Pope Francis has urged Africans to overcome the challenges plaguing their societies through faith and responsible leadership.

In Kenya, the pontiff visited the slums of Nairobi and lashed out at the injustice faced by the roughly 100,000 people living in extreme poverty there.

"I am here because I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your joys and hopes, your troubles and your sorrows," he told a packed church on Friday.

In Uganda, the pope chided the country's leaders, insisting that they use the country's bountiful resources in a responsible manner. He also visited a shrine dedicated to Christians murdered by the king in the late 19th century.

blc/jlw (AFP, AP, Reuters)

Pope hails Iran accord, urges end to 'absurd violence' in Easter message

Yahoo – AFP, Jean-Louis De La Vaissiere, 5 April 2015

Pope Francis speaks from the central loggia of St Peters' basilica during the

 "Urbi et Orbi" blessing for Rome and the world following the Easter Mass in the

Vatican on April 5, 2015 (AFP Photo/Filippo Monteforte)

Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis appealed Sunday for an end to "absurd violence" in hotspots around the world and said the international community must not stand by in the face of the "immense humanitarian tragedy" in Syria and Iraq.

In his traditional Easter message, the 78-year-old pontiff said he was praying for those killed in armed conflict, including the students massacred by Somali gunmen at a university in Kenya.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims huddled under a sea of umbrellas in a rain-soaked St Peter's Square to hear the pope deliver his "Urbi et Orbi" (To the City and World) blessing, broadcast live to dozens of countries.

Pope Francis greets the crowd from the

 popemobile after the Easter Mass at

 St Peter's square in the Vatican on

April 5, 2015 (AFP Photo/Gabriel Bouys)

In his third Easter message since his election as pope in 2013, the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics prayed "for peace, above all, for Syria and Iraq, that the roar of arms may cease".

He called on the international community to "not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees" created by the two conflicts.

He also prayed for the victims of Thursday's attack in Kenya that left 148 people dead, with survivors sayng the militants spared Muslim students but taunted Christian and Jewish students before killing them.

"I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya," he said.

Earlier Francis greeted pilgrims personally as he rode through the flower-bedecked square aboard his open Popemobile after presiding over Easter mass.

The most important and joyous moment of the Catholic calendar, Easter celebrates the day when Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead.

Pope Francis greets the crowd from 

the popemobile after the Easter Mass 

at the Vatican on April 5, 2015 (AFP

Photo/Filippo Monteforte)

Speaking from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, Francis also said the framework nuclear accord reached Thursday between Iran and six major world powers inspired hope for "a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world".

The Argentine pope pleaded for "absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence" in Libya to be halted, and voiced his "desire for peace, for the good of the entire people" in war-battered Yemen and Ukraine.

Without referring to a particular hotspot, Francis said: "Those who bear within them God's power, his love and his justice, do not need to employ violence."

Be 'respectful, ready to help'

He prayed for "all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones" in armed conflict and attacks by extremists in Nigeria and South Sudan as well as parts of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In addition, he urged "peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups (and) for the victims of drug dealers... And we ask peace for this world subjected to arms dealers."

Pope Francis greets the crowd from

 the popemobile after the Easter Mass

 at the Vatican on April 5, 2015 (AFP

Photo/Filippo Monteforte)

Francis also sounded his trademark appeal to the rich and powerful to care for the world's poor and downtrodden, saying: "The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all costs, that we compete."

Instead, Christians should "seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help," he said.

Sunday's Easter observances capped a long and demanding Holy Week that left Francis at times appearing tired.

On Friday he presided over the traditional Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at Rome's Colosseum evoking the last hours of Jesus's life.

The day before Francis celebrated two masses -- one for priests, and the other at Rome's Rebibbia prison, where he washed the feet of 10 inmates symbolically evoking Christ's humility -- a theme he took up again on Sunday.

"To enter into the mystery, we need to 'bend down', to abase ourselves," Francis said.

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Sudan Christian woman spared death sentence arrives in Rome

Yahoo – AFP, 24 July 2014

File image shows Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag (C), a Christian Sudanese woman

 sentenced to hang for apostasy, with husband (L), her newborn baby and
20-month-old son and members of the legal team at an undisclosed location
in Khartoum on June 23, 2014 (AFP)

A Sudanese Christian woman who was sentenced to death for renouncing Islam, then acquitted after intense international pressure on Khartoum, arrived on Thursday in Rome with her family en route to the United States.

Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag was greeted on the tarmac by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzo and his wife as well as Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli.

"Today is a day of celebration", Renzi said.

A global outcry erupted in May after Ishag was sentenced under Sharia law to 100 lashings and then to hang for apostasy.

Days after her conviction, she gave birth to a second child in prison.

Ishag's conviction was overturned in June, but she was immediately rearrested while trying to leave Sudan using what prosecutors claimed were forged documents.

Two days later, Ishag was released from prison and she and her family -- including her American husband and two young children -- took refuge in the US embassy.

Ishag was born to a Muslim father who abandoned the family, and was raised by her Ethiopian Orthodox Christian mother, according to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum which said she joined the Catholic church shortly before she married.

Ishag was convicted under Islamic Sharia law that has been in force in Sudan since 1983 and outlaws conversions which are punishable by death.

Her case has raised questions of religious freedom and sparked an outcry from Western governments and human rights groups.

Sudanese Christian woman spared death sentence meets Pope Francis (AFP)

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Sudanese Christian woman spared death sentence meets Pope Francis

Peres, Abbas to pray for peace at Vatican on June 8

Yahoo – AFP, 29 May 2014

Israeli President Shimon Peres (L) greets Pope Francis during a welcome

ceremony at Ben Gurion airport on May 25, 2014 (AFP Photo/David Buimovitch)

Vatican City (AFP) - Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas will pray for peace at the Vatican on June 8, the Holy See said Thursday.

Pope Francis had invited the pair to his home for a "heartfelt prayer" for peace during his three-day trip to the region, and the meeting "will take place on June 8, during the afternoon," a date "accepted by both parties," the Vatican said in a note.

Despite expectations Francis would steer clear of the thorny politics of the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his trip, the Argentine pontiff extended a personal invitation to the two men at the end of a mass in Bethlehem on Sunday.

"I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer... to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace," he said.

"Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment," he added.

Last month, US-led peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators collapsed in bitter recriminations. That ended a nine-month bid to reach a solution and left no political initiative on the horizon.

Pope Francis (R) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas attend a

 welcome ceremony on May 25, 2014 in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem

(AFP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The meeting had to be scheduled to take place before the 90-year-old Israeli president retires at the end of July.

"The meeting in the Vatican is to pray together, it's not a mediation," the pope said during the return flight to Rome.

"It is a prayer without discussions," said the pontiff, who has made interfaith dialogue a cornerstone of his 14-month-old papacy.

Peres is known for his close relationship with Abbas and has frequently pushed for a peaceful resolution of the decades-long conflict.

Earlier this month, he told an Israeli television channel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had blocked a peace agreement he had secretly negotiated in Jordan with Abbas in 2011.

Rami Hamdallah, the new Palestinian prime minister, left, with

 Mahmoud Abbas. (Photograph: Thaer Ghanaim/AFP/Getty Images)

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