Vatican document says Israeli-Palestinian conflict root cause of Christians fleeing Mideast

Vatican: Mideast conflict causes Christian flight

NICOSIA, Cyprus — A Vatican document says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upheaval it causes in the region is the chief reason Christians flee the Middle East.

The document says war in Iraq and political instability in Lebanon are also to blame, and cites the “extremist current” unleashed by the rise of “political Islam.”

The working paper was released on Sunday, the last of Pope Benedict XVI’s three-day pilgrimage to Cyprus, to prepare for a crisis summit of Middle East bishops in Rome in October.

Benedict said during Sunday’s Mass that he is praying the summit will focus the world’s attention on the plight of Christians in the Middle East “who suffer for their beliefs.” He called for an “urgent and concerted international effort” to resolve tensions there.