The news coming from Iraq pains me: Pope Francis

"The news coming from Iraq pains me. Lord, teach us to live in solidarity with all those who suffer," Pope Francis tweeted.

"Those driven from their homes in Iraq depend on us. I ask all to pray, and for those who are able, to give material assistance," he said.

In an earlier tweet, he had said: "I ask the international community to protect all those suffering violence in Iraq."

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Iraqi political parties to work towards the formation of a new government that would be able to confront the threat from the armed group, the Islamic State (IS).

In a late night statement on Saturday from his spokesperson, Ban called on the political parties “to abide by the constitutional timeline that governs the nomination of the Prime Minister.”

He also called for “reason and wisdom to prevail” and urged all leaders in Iraq to form “a broad-based government that is acceptable to all components of Iraqi society.”

Such a government should be able to mobilize the nation to confront the threat from IS in a way that will bring security and stability to the whole country, Ban added.

Iraqi politicians on July 15 chose Salim al-Jubour as the new Speaker of the Council of Representatives, and Fuad Ma'soum as the new President on July 24. Per the Iraqi Constitution, the political leaders have until the end of Sunday to nominate a Prime Minister, who would then form a new Government.

In his statement, Ban noted that as the Organization and the international community are closely following the political developments in Iraq, he also remains “deeply concerned” about the evolving humanitarian and security situation in the country.

The situation remains particularly dire on Jebel Sinjar, or Sinjar Mountain, where an estimated 50,000 people, many of them women, children and the elderly, are believed to be trapped since ISIL displaced them from their homes one week ago.

Aid workers are particularly concerned about high temperatures in the northern area. Those can reach 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) at this time of year.

Image: Wikimedia Commons