Italy: In his first public reaction to the outbreak of war in Iraq, Pope John Paul II on Saturday issued a strong condemnation of the US-led military intervention, arguing that war is a threat for humanity and that "violence and arms" are never the solution to the problems of mankind, writes Paddy Agnew in Rome
Speaking at a public Vatican audience for employees of the Catholic TV station, Telepace, the Pope said: "When, as at the moment in Iraq, warfare threatens the very fate of mankind, it becomes all the more urgent that we proclaim, with a loud and firm voice, that peace is the only way to construct a more just and fair society. Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of man."
Following the onset of war last Wednesday, the Pope did not himself offer any immediate reaction, confiding the Holy See's official response to a Vatican communique released by senior spokesman, Dr Joaquin Navarro Valls.
In that statement, the Vatican argued that both the Iraqi and US governments bore responsibility for the conflagration - Iraq for its failure to comply with UN Security Council resolutions and the US government for having abandoned the path of diplomacy.
Given that the Pope himself has spoken out many times in the last four months against war in Iraq and given also that the Vatican mounted a sustained but vain diplomatic campaign aimed at avoiding war, the Holy See's initial response on Thursday seemed low key.
In contrast, the Pope's words on Saturday, doubtless influenced by the seeming escalation of the conflict, seemed more pointedly critical of the US-led military intervention.
The Pope again returned to the theme of war yesterday during a beatification ceremony in St Peter's Square, saying: "We now ask from the Mother of God, above all at this moment, the gift of peace. In particular, it is to Her that we entrust the victims of this war and all their suffering relatives. To all of them I feel myself spiritually close, in my thoughts and prayers."
The Pope's words came on a weekend marked by anti-war demonstrations in many parts of Italy, including Rome and close to US military bases in Pisa, Tuscany and Sigonella in Sicily.
Some of those who marched in Rome on Saturday carried copies of the Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano, brandishing its full-banner, front-page headline, "The Madness of This War".