Pope Benedict XVI Speaks in First TV Q&A

In a rare television broadcast, the Pope attempts to reconnect with the world and offers his thoughts on Iraq and Japan's tsunami.

In an unprecedented Q&A television appearance on Good Friday, Pope Benedict XVI bemoaned suffering as he took questions from seven people around the world, including a seven-year-old tsunami survivor from Japan and a mother caring for a son in a permanent coma. In the segment that was recorded last week, the Pope urged the Christian minority not to abandon Iraq, and offered his thoughts on euthanasia and the tsunami in Japan. Although the session was heavily regulated by the Vatican, it was an attempt to freshen the image of the Roman Catholic Church, whose reputation was severely tarnished a year ago when a sexual abuse crisis in Europe generated negative publicity and protests.