BY Daniel Harkins | September 3 | 
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Pope tells Iraqi pilgrims that the Church will defend the defenceless
Speaking at the end of his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis addressed Arabic-speaking pilgrims and spoke of the caring and protective nature of the Church.
Pope Francis today addressed pilgrims from Iraq, telling them that the Church will defend the defenceless and the persecuted.
Speaking in Rome at the end of his weekly General Audience, the Pope told Arabic-speaking pilgrims—‘particularly those from Iraq’—that the Church is a mother modelled after the Blessed Virgin Mary. “The Church is a mother and like all mothers knows how to accompany the child in need, to raise the fallen son, to care for the sick, look for the lost, rouse the sleeping children and also defend the defenceless and persecuted,” he said.
“Today I want to assure, especially these last of you, the defenceless and persecuted, that you are in the heart of the Church. The Church suffers with you and is proud of you; you are her strength and the concrete and authentic witness of her message of salvation, of forgiveness and love. I embrace all of you, all of you. May the Lord bless you and protect you!”
Christians in Iraq are currently besieged by militants from the Islamic State (IS), the Sunni Muslim group who have taken over large parts of the country, committing atrocities against religious minorities as well as attacking Shia Muslims as part of a wider sectarian conflict.
On Tuesday, a video emerged which purports to show the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff by an IS militant. The murder comes after that of James Foley, a Catholic journalist whose death was filmed and posted online on August 19.
The Holy Father was speaking to tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s square. In his English language remarks read out at the end of his address, the Pope expanded on his motherhood analogy of the Church. “As a mother, the Church nurtures us throughout life by illuminating our path with the light of the Gospel and by sustaining us with the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist,” he said. “With this nourishment, we are able to choose the good and be vigilant against evil and deceit, and overcome the difficult moments of life with courage and hope. This is the Church: a mother who has at heart the good of her children. And since we are the Church, we are called to live this same spiritual, maternal attitude towards our brothers and sisters, by welcoming, forgiving and inspiring trust and hope.”
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