Pope Benedict called on Sunday on the governments and religious leaders of Iraq and India to protect Christian minorities where they have been persecuted.
Addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for his weekly blessing, the pope said Christians were suffering the "tragedy" of religious oppression in countries where they have thrived for centuries.
"(I) call the attention of the international community, of religious leaders and of all people of goodwill to the tragedy that is happening in certain countries of the east where Christians are victims of intolerance and cruel violence, killed, threatened and forced to abandon their homes and roam in search of refuge," he said. "At this moment, I am thinking above all about Iraq and India," he said.
Half of the Christian community of Iraq's northern city of Mosul has recently fled after attacks and death threats. The murder of a Hindu leader in August sparked anti-Christian riots in India, killing 35 people and damaging dozens of churches. "I am sure that the ancient and noble populations of those nations have learnt over the course of centuries of respectful cohabitation to appreciate the contribution that the small but hardworking and skilled Christian minorities bring to the shared homeland," Benedict said.
"They are not asking for privileges, but desire only to be able to continue to live in their country together with their fellow citizens, as they have always done," he said, calling on governments to spare no efforts to ensure rights were respected.