Pope remarks worry Christians in Mideast [View All]

By ANNA JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer
39 minutes ago


CAIRO, Egypt - Extra security guards around churches in Egypt and Lebanon. Armed officers surrounding at least one. With the tensions over Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam still high, many in the Mideast's large Christian communities are worried about a backlash.


"We are afraid," said Sonia Kobatazi, a Christian Lebanese, after Sunday morning Mass at the Maronite Christian St. George Cathedral in Beirut, Lebanon, where about a dozen policemen carrying automatic weapons stood guard outside.

Christians — a minority in the Mideast that varies from nearly 40 percent in Lebanon to tiny communities in the Gulf states — generally live in peace with the majority Muslims.

But relations are sometimes strained and outbreaks of violence have occurred in recent years. Some worry the flap over the pope will lead to a new round.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060918/ap_on_re_mi_ea/muslims_pope