Iraqi Catholic Bishops Want Change In Constitution

At the last minute, the Iraqi Catholic Bishops' Conference is seeking changes in Iraq's draft Constitution. The Catholic News Service reports today that Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel-Karim Delly met Iraqi interim President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari Sept. 18 to ask them to remove from the draft the clause providing that laws cannot contradict the undisputed rules of Islam. The Iraqi Bishop's Conference issued a public statement the next day, expressing concern about provisions in the draft Constitution that might lead to discrimination against Christians.