Pope Francis meets relatives of aid workers murdered by Islamic State

Vatican City, Mar 26, 2015 / 23:03 pm

The brother and widow of two British aid workers killed by Islamic State militants last autumn were among the participants in yesterday's General Audience, during which they briefly met with Pope Francis and received his blessing.

"Pope Francis has called for a common commitment to end fighting, hatred and violence. Mike Haines is living that commitment in an extraordinary way," Nigel Baker, the British ambassador to the Holy See, said in a March 24 statement a day before the audience.

Mike Haines is the brother of former aid worker David Haines, who was murdered by the Islamic State in September after being kidnapped while working near the Syrian-Turkish border  in 2013.

David Haines was 44, and the father of two. He had joined relief agency Acted in the delivery of clean water, food and tents in Syria amid the growing humanitarian crisis in refugee camps near Atme, 35 miles west of Aleppo on the Turkish border.

In the statement issued by the British Embassy to the Holy See, it was emphasized that since his brother's death, Haines has dedicated both his time and effort to spreading a message of tolerance among all religions, urging them to unite against extremism.

Mike Haines "will be bringing to the Vatican his message of interreligious understanding," Baker said.

Haines was accompanied to the papal audience by Shahnawaz Haque, and imam from East London.

Also present at the audience with Haines was Barbara Henning, the widow of British taxi driver Alan Henning, who was killed by the Islamic State in October, one month after Haines was beheaded by the extremists.

Henning was 47 and was also a father of two when he was killed. He had been helping to deliver aid to Syria during a fourth aid mission to the country when he was kidnapped within minutes of arriving last December.

The statement also notes that in October 2014, Mike Haines and Barbara Henning signed a joint letter calling for the "unity of people of all faiths in our society," and urging "churches, mosques, synagogues to open their doors and welcome people of all faiths."