Pope John Paul II may ask to personally address UN Security Council to stop Iraq war

AFP via Babelfish translation ^ | March 3, 2003

[HAL9000]

The pope wants to go in front of UNO if its message with Bush does not stop the war

Jean Paul II will ask to address personally to the Security Council of the United Nations if its message with the American president George W Bush does not convince it to give up a war against Iraq, learned Monday the AFP from diplomatic source vaticane.L' possibility of a direct address of the pope in the United Nations was evoked during the maintenance of the pope with the secretary-general of UNO, Kofi Annan, there are two weeks in the Vatican, one added of the same source.Le cardinal Pio Laghi left Rome Monday morning for Washington carrying a message of peace as it must give to the American president. The cardinal, old apostolic nuncio (ambassador) in Washington and friend of the Bush family, hopes to be received mercredi.Une delegation of American religious leaders forwarded last week to Jean Paul II a letter wishing that the head of the catholic Church go to ONU."Il is allocated only to the pope himself to make such a decision ", commented on Sunday on a chain of television the archbishop Renato Martino, old observant of the Holy See at the United Nations and current president of the pontifical Council for justice and the peace, which had been charged to transmit to the missive.Si the pope, had tired and old of almost 82 years, had he could benefit from it to go to request in Ground Zero, affirms one diplomatic source vaticane.Ce gesture would be very appreciated by all the Americans, adds one. He had been considered last August at the time of the voyage of the pope in Canada for the world Days of Jeunesse.Dans diplomatic circles of the Holy See, one estimates that the parallel actions and concommitantes of the pope on the two protagonists of the crisis, Iraq and the United States, represent a significant chance so that a war is evité.Le Iraqi president Saddam Hussein should take account of the risk to be relatively insulated in the Arab world if he made the deaf person ear with a call to order of the Arab League, even observes one of the same source.De, underlines one, president Bush, of methodist confession, should not receive from one who asked nearly a billion and half of Christians of the whole world to fast for peace Wednesday. This fast is also preached by the World Council of Churches of Geneva where Protestant Eglises and orthodoxes.En sit reiterating Sunday its call to all the Christians, the pope confirmed his determination with all to try for the paix."Sans to go in front of the difficulties, it is necessary to look for and traverse all the possible ways to avoid the war, which always brings with it serious mournings and consequences for everyone ", he launched to the thousands of brought together pilgrims Saint-Pierre place under the eye of the cameras of télévision.Le cardinal Laghi will make any possible sound to convince president Bush that a unilateral attack except UNO against Iraq is a "crime against peace", Foreign Minister of the pope, Mgr Jean Louis Tauran.

[NittanyLion]

It is almost as though (for a certain type of insecure, zero-accomplishment personality) slandering their betters closes the accomplishment gap. I don't know whether that emotion has a name but for sure it's associated with the very worst in human nature.

I call it liberalism...

[Beck_isright]

"Instead of manufacturing something you feel comfortable countering, how about addressing the actual issues in my posts?"

I'll address yours when you address mine. From my perspective you think it's ok that "the Church" meets with representatives of a regime which conducts genocidal practices and torture on a widespread basis. I guess it's safe to imply that you think the way "the Church" handles child rapists is okey dokey too. As each Dioceses goes bankrupt in the U.S. from lawsuits instead of encouraging the defrocking, arrest and prosecution of child molestors you just keep on keep on protecting this Pope.

[WaveThatFlag]

Well, they did such a good job of stopping Hitler,

I have no interest in reading the 220+ replies in this thread. I just wanted to let you know that you are a very ignorant person. The Vatican lacks an army, and is therefore incapable of "stopping" any military force (although Vatican ideology was instrumental in ending communism). Cardinals and Bishops around Rome were very active in hiding Jews (saving as much as 20% of those marked for concentration camps). The idea that the Vatican aided the Nazis in any way (their anti-catholicism was very open) is a fallacy created by people like yourself who hate Catholics because you secretly hate yourself.

The Pope's job is ALWAYS to oppose violence and NEVER to take sides in a political dispute. If you don't understand that, you know nothing about Catholicism, and very little about the teachings of Our Saviour who died on the Cross so that we may be forgiven.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..from my perspective you think it's ok that "the Church" meets with representatives of a regime which conducts genocidal practices and torture on a widespread basis...

Yes, I do.

I'm quite sure the Pope would use the opportunity to protest against those practices.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..the Pope's job is ALWAYS to oppose violence and NEVER to take sides in a political dispute. If you don't understand that, you know nothing about Catholicism, and very little about the teachings of Our Saviour who died on the Cross so that we may be forgiven....

Well said!

[Happygal]

Piasa..thank you for this thought provoking post.

As a Catholic, I'm sorry that the Holy Father is engaging in this, at a time when our Church is already hurting very deeply from many scandals.

Ivan, read piasa's post..I'd be interested in your opinion.

[MadIvan]

This argument is compelling in some ways, but here is my problem with it - it assumes that the Arab street has a rational perception of cause and effect. Were that so, then they would be going out of their way not to harm French targets - but we know from Bin Laden's rantings and the attack on the French tanker off the coast of Yemen, that there are no rational distinctions: infidel are infidel, and they must be destroyed.

Thus it is a Holy War in spite of the Pope - as the attackers on Iraq and Al Qaeda are Christian, that's all that matters.

Regards, Ivan

[Happygal]

As a Catholic, how feel you Ivan about the Pope's vocal intervention into these affairs?

[MadIvan]

As a Catholic, how feel you Ivan about the Pope's vocal intervention into these affairs?

I don't expect the Holy Father to jump up and down and support war. In reality, I think it would have been most prudent for him to say very little on the subject except expressing his distate for wars in general.

Love, Ivan

[Beck_isright]

So when is the pope going to advocate the arrest and prosecution of priests who commit rape or molestation of a child?

[arete]

The Pope has a right and a duty to preach Peace

Couldn't agree with you more. It's about time he stood up to American imperialism. Tell like it is John Paul!! The Catholic world is behind you on this one.

Richard W.

[arete]

It he goes to see Bush, I would make him stand in the snow barefoot for three days.

Let's see. Out list of people to hate. N. Korea, Iran, Yehman, France, Germany, Turkey, Hollywood, Liberals, China, Russia, Vatican, Canada, Mexico, . . . .

[arete]

"If you're not with us, you are against us."

After uttering that stupidity, it is not surprising that so many in the world are anxious to stand up and give GW the finger.

Richard W.

[Happygal]

So when is the pope going to advocate the arrest and prosecution of priests who commit rape or molestation of a child?

As far as I'm aware, the Church has not intervened in prosecutions taken by the State authorities (in both Ireland and America) against allegations of child abuse. And the Church has denounced child abuse in all its forms.

Don't turn this into a Catholic witch hunt. The grass roots of the Catholic faith are already hurting very deeply by the actions of the sick individuals within it's ranks. To think otherwise, is both insensitive, and wrong.

[Cap'n Crunch]

LOL, New Leftism, I like that. I actually like the term author Hilaire Belloc uses: "The New Paganism."

[Happygal]

The Catholic world is behind you on this one.

No! The Catholic world is NOT all behind the Holy Father on this one.

I'm a born, bred, reared, christened, confirmed and yet to be excommunicated Catholic...and I have to respectfully disagree with Pope John Paul II on this one.

[Happygal]

LaBelleDameSansMerci signed up 2000-03-13. This account has been banned.

Or LaBelleDame was quoting from Leftist websites and holding THOSE up as gospel?

[Cap'n Crunch]

Got the boot eh? Too bad, I enjoyed LaBelle's posts for the most part.

[Beck_isright]

As many Catholics I know have indicated, you are correct, they have not intervened. They have deceived, relocated, diverted, moved, masked, etc. the actions of those sick individuals and in some cases enabled these perverts to escape, but if you or I did what Cardinal Law did, we would be in jail forever. The double standard of American law is alive and well. If you have the dough, you can skate.

[Happygal]

Well you may have heard of the Irish Diocese of Ferns.

It's made international press, well before any of America's Catholic Dioceses with paedophilia priests came to light.

That's MY Diocese.

I also knew Fr. Sean Fortune (whose sick escapades are internationally known..and posted previously on these threads).

I know Bishop Brendan Comiskey..on a first name basis.

I know Colm O'Gorman and Pat Jackman and Damien McAleenan (who were part of the 'Suing the Pope' documentary) that brought it all to a head.

So WHAT do you want me to tell you?

Colm, Pat and Damien don't hate the Pope. They hate the sick bastard who ruined their lives....Sean Fortune. The man who commited suicide before facing trial, and robbing them of their public day in court!!

What do you want to know from me?

The fact that the Bishop who knew about this was an alcoholic at the time, that he apologised, and subsequently resigned becaise his post-alcoholic conscience made him? Not ONE of those boys Colm, Pat or Damien blame Bishop Comiskey or the Pope for what a sick bastard did.

I know this, because I know those men. (WHo were boys when they were so horribly violated).

What else, do you want me to say?

This hurts me too. Because these guys are friends of mine.