and now the word from the pope...
Pope denounces war as a threat against fate of humanity
Saturday, March 22, 2003
VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II Saturday denounced the war against Iraq as a threat against the ''fate of humanity.''
It was his first public comment on the U.S.-led military attacks since the war began early Thursday.
''When war, as in these days in Iraq, threatens the fate of humanity, it is ever more urgent to proclaim, with a strong and decisive voice, that only peace is the road to follow to construct a more just and united society,'' John Paul said. ''Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of men.''
John Paul, with impassioned speeches and Vatican diplomacy, lobbied against war and in favour of a negotiated solution in the months before the conflict.
He made his remarks in an address at the Vatican to an Italian religious television channel, Telepace.
A few hours after the war began, the Vatican expressed ''deep pain'' and faulted both sides for failing to find a peaceful solution.
© Copyright Associated Press