Pope Calls for Fast Against War in Iraq (Catholics to fast on Ash Wednesday)

ap ^ | 2/23/2003 | ap

[TLBSHOW]

Pope Calls for Fast Against War in Iraq

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) 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 (news - web sites), 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 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 (news - web sites) 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 (news - web sites), 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 (news - web sites) 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 (news - web sites), 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.

[Conservative til I die]

No problem. It's understandable I would hope that I would get annoyed that I was getting warned for a somewhat humoruous "been in America long" in response to a guy who I think was saying "Catholics sucks." I was like, wait, *I'm* the jerk?

[Jhoffa_]

Sometimes it’s hard to be a Catholic, just as it is sometimes hard to be an American or a Conservative.

I know.

I am a protestant myself, but I do feel for my Catholic bretheren.

You guy's got it pretty tough right now. Allot facing the Catholics in this point in time, this included.

[Barnacle]

Peace be with you my FRiend.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Thanks for posting this garbage, I needed some fishwrap. Your particular judgment will be fun to watch.

[Capt. Tom]

"blessed are the peacemakers," a phrase from the Gospel of Matthew.

I like this one better from: Matthew ch. 10 lines 34-39 (I'm to lazy to write it out.) -Tom

[ACAC]

Must we fight about things that happened 500 years ago? We sound like those in the Middle East.

[Schatze]

Why are you posting in large, colored type? Now that's obnoxious.

[Capt. Tom]

Ok lazy here it is:

Not Peace, but a Sword

34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

[DontMessWithMyCountry]

Agreed. I do not like the Catholic "church" (because of what I believe to be teachings wholly antithetical to the teachings of the Bible)...HOWEVER, I will not ever 'attack' a Catholic for his choice to be a member of that Church. Because, the 'key' to 'true' Christianity is not in the 'show', but in the LIFE of the individual. As far as I am concerned, a Catholic is every bit as 'Christian' as any Protestant, providing that EACH of us LIVES his/her life as the Bible instructs us to do. Highly doubt that an 'institution' (i.e., the external "church") is going to be the 'theme' of judgment; more likely it will be the 'individual' (i.e., the internal "church") that is going to be evaluated.

[GirlShortstop]

Ok I left my computer mulled over in my mind and I respond to you likewise.       ¤ The break was probably a wise choice.

I said nothing against praying for peace, if that was all that was said by this man, there would be no reason to say anything. I responded initially to the fact that Reuters SUN FEB 23 8:59am et to this "The vatican has refused to bless a possible U.S. led attack on Iraq, which it believes could unleash terrorism and lead to the killing of civilians."      ¤ If there is a thread on that article, I may make time to read it and, if inclined, post a response there.   He said-she said isn't my cup of tea.  I am reading this thread and enjoying the shared belief in the power of prayer and the hope for peace.

Terrorism has already been unleash, and civilians are being killed. So please help what he claims make sense.

I responded that since our Heavenly Father is responsible for passing out blessings and cursings this guy's blessing was not necessary. (not sure word for word) ... explanation about "We Christians in particular. In one or the other of the articles he is quoted as saying appeal to all sides to try to "resolve with pacific mean".       ¤  I do know that what you said is:

So if speaking out against what this man claims is anti-catholic for you so be it. But this guy is not my path to Christianity and he does not speak for me and as a "free" Christian.

Your position as a "free Christian" (if I'm bored and want to find out what that really means, I'll head to that killer-long thread at some point) is just that:  your's, and  not mine.   Thank you though for explaining your perspective and the issues that you have with what I originally asked:

Since when is praying for peace a horrible thing to do?    If you could cite the stats on military men and women (i.e. how many do or don't pray for peace) to support your position, it'd be appreciated.

FReegards.

[mosby]

Jeez, you're a sensitive little flower, aren't you? Only Catholics get spanked on FR? I must just be dreaming when I read those posts mocking Falwell, Graham, Robertson, etc. Also those posts attacking the NCC, Anglican Bishops, and liberal Methodists.

As for the Pope, I personally couldn't care what the old guy says. He's entirely irrelevant to most of the important things happening in the world today.

[GirlShortstop]

Why are you posting in large, colored type? Now that's obnoxious.

LOL.    Thank you. We are all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

[Schatze]

Gee, there's an intelligent reply.

[Jhoffa_]

More importantly (at least in my mind) is that, at this point we have much bigger problems that each other. Same goes for the Jews for that matter.

Petty squabbles here are counter productive, imho.

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend..'

[Desdemona]

Why should this Ash Wednesday be any different in the fasting regard than normal? We do the same thing every year.

Oh, I forgot, His Holiness is resisting applying terrorism to the Just War Doctrine. I love the pope, but in this case, yes, peace is the ultimate goal. But first, we have to get the WMD away from the terrorists.

[Bulldogs22]

"Why are you posting in large, colored type? Now that's obnoxious."




Good shortstops can post anyway they want.

[DontMessWithMyCountry]

Well, with all due respect, I cannot agree that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' applies, for a number two main reasons:

First, Catholics and Jews and Protestants are NOT enemies. There are some, however, who have so little GENUINE belief in the spiritual teachings that they get blind-sided and actually DO start believing that they are enemies. It's like they've learned to talk but never to walk.

Secondly, our country is predominantly Christian and Jewish (we can address the athiest and agnostic contingent another day, k? ;-) . If we believe (and ESPECIALLY on FreeRepublic!) that the Constitution contains the guiding principles in how we conduct ourselves as FREE citizens, then it is simply inconsonant--with BOTH the teachings of our respective religions AND with the clauses of our own Constitution--to be at each other's throats because one person chooses one religious path, while his neighbor chooses another path. No matter how you slice it or dice it, at best, it's nothing more than childishness ('my daddy can beat up your daddy' mentality); at worst, it's sheer hypocrisy. And, it gets very, very, wearisome.

Nothing like a house divided against itself to give ample ammo to those who would mock our nation.

[GirlShortstop]

Good shortstops can post anyway they want.

Thank you Bulldogs.     If someone as *nice as you* asked me to alter my reply "font style" for a particular reason, I'd be happy to oblige!   FReegards!