[R-G] Pope Calls for Fast Against War in Iraq

[DavidMcR at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/25/03 3:39:46 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
geese4peace at yahoo.com writes:

<< 
 
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20030223/ap_on_re_eu/vatica

n_iraq
 
 
 World - AP Europe 
  
 Pope Calls for Fast Against War in Iraq 
 Sun Feb 23, 2003
 
 By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer 
 
 VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II called on Catholics to fast on Ash
 Wednesday in the name of peace and said again on Sunday he worried a
 U.S.-led war against Iraq could unsettle the entire Middle East. 
 
 Looking wan and tired, John Paul opened his traditional Sunday remarks
 from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square by denouncing war
 as a way to resolve the conflict. 
 
 "We Christians in particular are called upon to be sentinels of peace,"
 John Paul said, calling on Catholics to dedicate their fasting on Ash
 Wednesday, March 5, for the cause of peace. 
 
 On that day, the pope said, faithful will pray for "the conversion of
 hearts and the long-range vision of just decisions to resolve disputes
 with adequate and peaceful means." 
 
 He said that the fast, which Catholics traditionally conduct at the
 start of Lent to prepare themselves for Easter, is an "expression of
 penitence for the hate and violence which pollute human relations." 
 
 Fasting, an ancient practice shared by other religions, he said, also
 lets faithful "shed themselves of all arrogance." 
 
 Rainbow-hued peace banners fluttered in the crowd of tourists and
 pilgrims in the square. Surveys have shown Italians and many other
 Europeans oppose war, even if waged under the aegis of the United
 Nations, and earlier this month, about 1 million Italians marched
 through Rome to protest against the United States and its push for
 using military force. 
 
 "For months the international community is living in great apprehension
 for the danger of a war, which could unsettle the entire Middle East
 region and aggravate the tensions unfortunately already present in this
 beginning of the third millennium," the pontiff said. 
 
 "It is the duty of all believers, to whichever religion they belong, to
 proclaim that we can never be happy pitted one against the other; the
 future of humanity will never be able to be secured by terrorism and by
 the logic of war," John Paul said. 
 
 While the pope has been hailed as a champion of peace by anti-war
 demonstrators ranging from environmentalists to communists, some in
 Italy challenged his view. 
 
 Radical Party leaders Sunday denounced what they saw as the pontiff's
 "equating terrorism and war, whatever war." Led by Marco Panella, the
 Radicals say they would like to see Saddam Hussein in exile and a
 democratic government under U.N. auspices to replace the Iraqi leader. 
 
 John Paul has been holding practically daily meetings with key players
 in the crisis over Iraq. In his latest effort, on Saturday, he met with
 British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been trying to line up
 support in Europe and elsewhere for Washington's insistence that
 military force is necessary if Baghdad doesn't quickly and completely
 comply with U.N. disarmament resolutions. 
 
 John Paul, 82 and struggling with Parkinson's disease and other health
 problems, appeared weary, his voice trailing off in the final words of
 his appeal, "blessed are the peacemakers," a phrase from the Gospel of
 Matthew. 
 
 John Paul made similar calls against conflict in the months before the
 1991 Gulf War, but in this campaign, with the memory of the Sept. 11
 terrorist attacks making the world particularly apprehensive, he has
 seemed more determined than ever to do his part to persuade
 decision-makers against going to war. 
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