Posted on 07/14/2006 7:51:25 AM PDT by dinoparty
Vatican condemns Israel for attacks on Lebanon VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Friday strongly deplored Israel's strikes on Lebanon, saying they were "an attack" on a sovereign and free nation.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano said Pope Benedict and his aides were very worried that the developments in the Middle East risked degenerating into "a conflict with international repercussions."
"In particular, the Holy See deplores right now the attack on Lebanon, a free and sovereign nation, and assures its closeness to these people who already have suffered so much to defend their independence," he told Vatican Radio.
Israel struck Beirut airport again on Friday and bombed Lebanese roads, power supplies and communication networks in a widening campaign after Hizbollah guerrillas seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight.
Sodano said the Vatican condemned both "terroristic attacks" and military reprisals.
Hizbollah, which wants to trade its captives for prisoners held in Israel, has showered rockets across the frontier in its fiercest bombardment since 1996 when Israel launched a 17-day blitz against southern Lebanon and Hizbollah. ADVERTISEMENT
But Sodano reserved his harshest words for Israel.
"The right of defence on the part of a state does not exempt it from its responsibility to respect international law, particularly regarding the safeguarding of civilian populations," he said.
"The news we are receiving from the Middle East is certainly worrying."The Holy Father Benedict XVI and all his collaborators are following with great attention the latest dramatic episodes, which risk degenerating into a conflict with international repercussions.
"As in the past, the Holy See also condemns both the terrorist attacks on the one side and the military reprisals on the other. Indeed, a State's right to self-defense does not exempt it from respecting the norms of international law, especially as regards the protection of civilian populations.
"In particular, the Holy See deplores the attack on Lebanon, a free and sovereign nation, and gives assurances of its closeness to those people who have suffered so much in the defense of their own independence.
"Once again, it appears obvious that the only path worthy of our civilization is that of sincere dialogue between the contending parties."
It isn't anti-Semitism to say the Christians are now the chosen people. Jesus stated in the parable of the vineyard and the tenants (Matthew 21) that those who believe in Him are now the chosen people of God.
The Pope has said nothing, and is actually on vacation in the Alps right now. This statement was made by the Vatican Secy of State, who is retiring and about to be replaced. He's saying nothing different than the sort of thing he said throughout his career under JPII, although I think it's interesting that he actually had to wait a few days to say it and had to combine it with a condemnation of terrorism (something he didn't always do in the past). Incidentally, I hope you read the statement and not just the headline, which is biased, manipulative and a product of the press, not the Vatican. The statement isn't great, but it's not what the headline makes it sound like.
As for infallibility, that has to do only with doctrinal matters of faith and morals; political situations are not subject to this. The Pope may have an opinion, like anybody else, and base it on some teaching of the Church, but he doesn't make infallible statements on politics.
You must be kidding. Those are of no strategic value?
I don't know why Israel bombed the buildings at the airport, but malice seems absurd. I give them the benefit of the doubt.
Read the actual statement in post #34. The Vatican is condemning the terrorist acts and Israeli attacks against civilian targets, like roads, power plants and communications infrastructure.
I think we've all come to take "total war" as a necessary fact of life, which is tragic.
He is a long time known Jew hater but that was not to what I was responding.
On that issue, even as they misunderstand the Jewish concept of "Choosiness", Christians can believe anything they choose, with no criticism from me.
I was responding to #254
The FR Religion Form frequently has posts asking for prayers for family members, loved ones, etc. especially in times of sickness, need, or bereavement.
Is this against your faith, Psalm_2?
Sigh.
So, now we're at Pope Benedict XVI = Judas? A few posts earlier, he was Hitler. Anyone wanna turn this into Catholic = Islam?
Topic: The Vatican knows my social security number and they are scary.
Discuss.
Lil Flower, I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm another Catholic that is sick and tired of Israel getting attacked over and over and being told by everyone and their dog to "show restraint", but any measures to stop the perpetrators of terrorism are blocked by the Useless Nincompoops, Eurabian Axis, and other assorted gutter snipes. Everytime Israel has made any gestures toward "peace", her enemies see it as a sign of weakness and redouble their foul deeds. If I were a soldier kidnapped by some allahu-fubarhead looney-tunes, I'd want the USA to do whatever it took not only to rescue me, but to ensure that nobody would even think of kidnapping any American.
Dear Aquinasfan,
When enemy military leaders decide to camp in civilian neighborhoods, regrettably, those neighborhoods become legitimate military targets. That's part of the reason why Israel leafletted these neighborhoods, urging actual civilians to leave before the bombing began.
I might add that Israel did this likely at significant cost to the military effectiveness of the operation. The decency and humanity of the Israeli government and military shine forth again to unbiased observers.
As well, I don't think that the Cardinal Sodano's objections were strictly limited to criticism of Israel's bombing of civilian neighborhoods. It seems that he's criticized Israel's crossing an international border into Lebanon, to conduct any military operations at all.
The cardinal's complaint, in essence, is that Israel has committed war against the sovereign state of Lebanon.
I think the cardinal is right, but he seems to have forgotten that Israel's action is in reaction to the acts of war committed against it by parts of the sovereign Lebanese government.
I will point out, finally, something that folks seemed to have missed: this condemnation seems to have omitted criticism against the military actions in Gaza. It appears that the Vatican has acquiesced to Israel's overall right to respond militarily to these acts of war. It fears, however, that Israel, in forcefully crossing the Lebanese border, has significantly internationalized the conflict, and invites wider war.
I think the Vatican is right to be concerned about the prospects for a wider war.
However, I'm not sure that I think Israel has any better choices right now.
sitetest
Dear Bikers4Bush,
"Who the hell cares about the past?"
Well, looking at your first post, one might have supposed that you did:
"If the vatican had ever taken a hardline stance against islam it may have a leg to stand on. As it is, it never has and it doesn't."
The use of the word "never" in this construction usually encompasses the past.
sitetest
==I think we've all come to take "total war" as a necessary fact of life, which is tragic.
Nothing ever gets solved until one side or the other definitively wins. The world has prolonged this war by not letting the principle parties settle this thing once and for all.
Yes. You won't read about it in the MSM because it's a dog-bites-man story.
If the Vatican puts forth a statement that can be misrepresented to further the media's anti-Catholicism, it will be publicized and distorted, as this one has been.
Does the MSM represent conservatism fairly? Evangelicals? Fundamentalists?
insert "present day islam".
There you go. Enjoy.
Good points! Thanks for clarification.
Nonsense...they should just say something about a hope that both sides make peace and leave it at that.
Thank you for taking the time to ask!
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