U.S. faith delegation arrives in Iraq

NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A delegation of 12 religious leaders has arrived in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to promote a better understanding between the followers of the Christian and Islamic faiths, the New York-based National Council of Churches announced Monday.

The delegation, headed by NCC's General Secretary Bob Edgar, will meet with heads of local churches and mosques, the Red Crescent Society, and other agencies operating in the area.

The group will also conduct field visits to local hospitals and schools. This mission is part of a series of visits by the faith community to the region and follows upon a recent trip by the Catholic organization, Pax Christi.

On Monday, the group visited Ibn Al Baladi Hospital, the Abi Hanifa Mosque, the Syrian Catholic Church and the Iraqi Red Crescent Society.

Several U.S. religious organizations, including Church World Service and the National Council of Churches, are joining in a $1 million campaign to respond to the critical health care needs of Iraqi children.

Their "All Our Children" campaign is the latest step in the American faith community's humanitarian response in Iraq over the past dozen years.

Funds raised will purchase desperately needed items such as antibiotics, anesthesia, IV solution kits and methods for accessing clean drinking water. "During the last 20 years, the children of Iraq have suffered at the hands of both internal and external forces," says the campaign appeal. "The Gulf War in 1991 and more than a decade of sanctions have followed on the heels of a protracted Iraqi war with Iran during the 1980s. Estimates of the number of children who have died run from 500,000 to more than 1 million."