By Teresa Neumannf – Staff BBC

They are needed to rebuild the country.

(Iraq)—After meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Italy, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is urging Christians who fled Iraq to return and help rebuild the country.

According to a BBC report, Maliki said he urged the Pope “to encourage Christians who left the country to go back and be part of the social structure of Iraq again.”

Maliki reportedly also confirmed he had invited the pope to visit Iraq.

“We hope that he will be making the visit as soon as he can. His visit would represent support for the efforts of love and peace in Iraq,” he said.

The Vatican also released a statement saying they had discussed the situation of “many refugees inside and outside the country who need help, in particular with regards to their return.”