Terrorist acts of violence waged against places of worship offend the name of God and religion, said an interfaith Vatican committee.

In a joint statement released Aug. 3 by the Vatican, the two co-presidents of the Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee condemned all "terrorist acts that continue to be perpetrated in Iraq and that involve the civilian population."

The statement condemned "in particular the suicide attacks in areas in which are located places of worship, both against Muslims and against Christians gathered for worship."

Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Hamid al-Rifaie, head of the Saudi-based International Islamic Forum for Dialogue, issued the joint statement in English and Arabic, two days after a wave of car-bomb explosions targeted five Catholic churches in Iraq.

In a separate statement, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington said the church attacks were a "new and most destabilizing element in this terrible civil conflict."

The Aug. 1 bombings were timed to go off while parishioners gathered for Sunday evening Mass. At least 11 people were killed.

"Such blind acts of violence offend the sacred name of God and true religion. They evidence a gross misunderstanding of the history and culture of this sorely tried country," the statement said.

About 650,000 people, or 3 percent of the Iraqi population, are Christian. Though Islam is the predominant religion in Iraq, the country's Christians represent one of the oldest communities in the world, with a history dating back some 2,000 years.

The Vatican committee statement said the recent violence in Iraq represents "a grave threat to the peaceful coexistence and the ordered development of Iraqi society."

The committee expressed hope that all Iraqis would "finally enjoy the gift of peace, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and genuine collaboration among all its citizens of whatever religious tradition."

The Muslim-Catholic Liaison Committee includes representatives from four major international Islamic organizations, including the Muslim World League and the World Muslim Conference.

The committee was created in 1995 by Vatican and Muslim representatives as a way to promote mutual understanding, strengthen religious values, and contribute toward peace and justice.

Cardinal McCarrick said the church attacks were "a time of special concern and worry."

"For many hundreds of years, Christians have lived in the Middle East peacefully and have been able to have their churches and to worship in the way they feel God has called them to worship. The singling out of men and women of the Christian religion by other people who are also of the same family of Abraham is a new and most destabilizing element in this terrible civil conflict," he said.

The cardinal called on Muslim leaders to condemn the attacks. He noted that Pope John Paul II and other Christian leaders have spoken against the unjust treatment of Muslims.

---CNS