Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Vatican, addresses the general debate of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. Photo: UN Photo/Cia Pak.

JNS.org – Pope Francis has summoned the envoys of several Middle East countries to the Vatican for a rare meeting, likely to discuss a response to the ongoing threats in the region.

The Vatican said Tuesday that envoys from Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority, as well as representatives from the European Union and United Nations, will gather in Rome from Oct. 2 -4.

During his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, told international leaders that world is “seeing a totally new phenomenon—the existence of a terrorist organization which threatens all states,” and that it is “both licit and urgent to stop aggression through multilateral action and a proportionate use of force.”

“Here with you today, I cannot fail to mention the many Christians and ethnic minorities who in recent months have endured atrocious persecution and suffering in Iraq and Syria. Their blood demands of us all an unwavering commitment to respect and promote the dignity of every single person as willed and created by God,” Parolin said.