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| Sudan 'apostasy' woman Meriam Yahia Ibrahim meets Pope | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Sudanese woman who fled to Italy after being spared a death sentence for renouncing Islam has met the Pope. | A Sudanese woman who fled to Italy after being spared a death sentence for renouncing Islam has met the Pope. |
| Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag flew to Rome with her family after more than a month in the US embassy in Khartoum. | |
| There was global condemnation when she was sentenced to hang for apostasy by a Sudanese court. | There was global condemnation when she was sentenced to hang for apostasy by a Sudanese court. |
| Mrs Ibrahim's father is Muslim so according to Sudan's version of Islamic law she is also Muslim and cannot convert. | Mrs Ibrahim's father is Muslim so according to Sudan's version of Islamic law she is also Muslim and cannot convert. |
| She was raised by her Christian mother and says she has never been Muslim. | She was raised by her Christian mother and says she has never been Muslim. |
| Welcoming her at the airport, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said: "Today is a day of celebration." | Welcoming her at the airport, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said: "Today is a day of celebration." |
| Mrs Ibrahim met Pope Francis at his Santa Marta residence at the Vatican soon after her arrival. | Mrs Ibrahim met Pope Francis at his Santa Marta residence at the Vatican soon after her arrival. |
| "The Pope thanked her for her witness to faith," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi was quoted as saying. | |
| The meeting, which lasted around half an hour, was intended to show "closeness and solidarity for all those who suffer for their faith," he added. | The meeting, which lasted around half an hour, was intended to show "closeness and solidarity for all those who suffer for their faith," he added. |
| 'Mission accomplished' | 'Mission accomplished' |
| The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says there was no prior indication of Italy's involvement in the case. | The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says there was no prior indication of Italy's involvement in the case. |
| Lapo Pistelli, Italy's vice-minister for foreign affairs, accompanied her on the flight from Khartoum and posted a photo of himself with Mrs Ibrahim and her children on his Facebook account as they were about to land in Rome. | Lapo Pistelli, Italy's vice-minister for foreign affairs, accompanied her on the flight from Khartoum and posted a photo of himself with Mrs Ibrahim and her children on his Facebook account as they were about to land in Rome. |
| "Mission accomplished," he wrote. | "Mission accomplished," he wrote. |
| A senior Sudanese official told Reuters news agency that the government in Khartoum had approved her departure in advance. | |
| Mrs Ibrahim's lawyer Mohamed Mostafa Nour told BBC Focus on Africa that she travelled on a Sudanese passport she received at the last minute. | Mrs Ibrahim's lawyer Mohamed Mostafa Nour told BBC Focus on Africa that she travelled on a Sudanese passport she received at the last minute. |
| "She is unhappy to leave Sudan. She loves Sudan very much. It's the country she was born and grew up in," he said. | "She is unhappy to leave Sudan. She loves Sudan very much. It's the country she was born and grew up in," he said. |
| "But her life is in danger so she feels she has to leave. Just two days ago a group called Hamza made a statement that they would kill her and everyone who helps her," he added. | "But her life is in danger so she feels she has to leave. Just two days ago a group called Hamza made a statement that they would kill her and everyone who helps her," he added. |
| Mrs Ibrahim's husband, Daniel Wani, also a Christian, is from South Sudan and has US nationality. | Mrs Ibrahim's husband, Daniel Wani, also a Christian, is from South Sudan and has US nationality. |
| Their daughter Maya was born in prison in May, shortly after Mrs Ibrahim was sentenced to hang for apostasy - renouncing one's faith. | Their daughter Maya was born in prison in May, shortly after Mrs Ibrahim was sentenced to hang for apostasy - renouncing one's faith. |
| Under intense international pressure, her conviction was quashed and she was freed in June. | Under intense international pressure, her conviction was quashed and she was freed in June. |
| She was given South Sudanese travel documents but was arrested at Khartoum airport, with Sudanese officials saying the travel documents were fake. | She was given South Sudanese travel documents but was arrested at Khartoum airport, with Sudanese officials saying the travel documents were fake. |
| These new charges meant she was not allowed to leave the country but she was released into the custody of the US embassy in Khartoum. | These new charges meant she was not allowed to leave the country but she was released into the custody of the US embassy in Khartoum. |
| Last week, her father's family filed a lawsuit trying to have her marriage annulled, on the basis that a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim. | Last week, her father's family filed a lawsuit trying to have her marriage annulled, on the basis that a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim. |