Iraq’s official news agency published a letter written by seven Iraqi scholars criticizing a planned papal trip to Iraq. In what is believed to be the first criticism to emerge from Iraq regarding the trip, the news agency reported Tuesday that the scholars believe Pope John Paul II will use the pilgrimage, planned to coincide with next year’s millennial celebrations, to persuade Christians to forgive Jews for “atrocities” that included the killing of Jesus.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
