Top Vatican Officials Expected to visit Damascus Next Week

 VATICAN CITY, (S.T)_  Pope Benedict XVI is to send a delegation, including top Vatican officials and New York’s cardinal  to Syria, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The Vatican No. 2, Cardinal TarcisioBertone, said that the delegation would likely travel to Syria next week.

The group will consist of seven churchmen, including New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Holy See’s top official for inter-religious dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, and the archbishop of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa.

Syrian official sources have not yet confirmed the date of the visit.

On September 15, the pontiff, calling himself “a pilgrim of peace,” denounced as a “grave sin” the transfer of weapons from any country to Syria.

“The import of weapons has to finally stop. Without the import of arms the war cannot continue. Instead of importing weapons, which is a grave sin, we have to import ideas of peace and creativity.” said the Pontiff.

The United States and other western nations are providing terrorist groups in Syria with weapons. In addition,  the Obama administration has not denounced the reported arming of these groups by certain Gulf states and other nations.

 B. Qaddour

Source: agencies