Pope: Enough With Slaughters in Iraq

AP ^ | 3/16/2008 | NICOLE WINFIELD

[markomalley]

Pope Benedict XVI leaves a confessional in the St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Thursday, March 13, 2008 after he heard confessions by faithful. (AP Photo/GIUSEPPE GIGLIA, POOL)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI issued one of his strongest appeals for peace in Iraq on Sunday, days after the body of the kidnapped Chaldean Catholic archbishop was found near the northern city of Mosul.

The pope also denounced the 5-year-long Iraq war, saying it had provoked the complete breakup of Iraqi civilian life.

"Enough with the slaughters. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!" Benedict said to applause at the end of his Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square.

On Thursday, the body of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was found near Mosul. He had been abducted on Feb. 29.

Benedict has called Rahho's death an "inhuman act of violence" that offended human dignity.

On Sunday, Benedict praised Rahho for his loyalty to Christ and his refusal to abandon his flock despite many threats and difficulties.

He recalled Rahho's death as the Catholic Church opens Holy Week, the most solemn week in the liturgical calendar in which the faithful recall the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

Benedict said Rahho's dedication to the Catholic Church and his death compelled him to "raise a strong and sorrowful cry" to denounce the violence in Iraq spawned by the war that began five years ago this week.

"At the same time, I make an appeal to the Iraqi people, who for the past five years have borne the consequences of a war that provoked the breakup of their civil and social life," Benedict said.

He urged them to raise their heads and reconstruct their life through "reconciliation, forgiveness, justice and coexistence among tribal, ethnic and religious groups."

The Vatican strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. In its aftermath, Benedict has frequently criticized attacks against Iraqi Christians by Islamic extremists. Last year, he urged President Bush to keep the safety of Iraqi Christians in mind.

Benedict is due to preside over a memorial service at the Vatican on Monday in honor of Rahho. Typically, the pope only presides over such services when a cardinal dies.

The pontiff's appeal for peace came at the end of his Palm Sunday Mass, which opens the Church's busy Holy Week celebrations. They include the Good Friday re-enactment of Christ's crucifixion and death and the celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.

At the start of Mass, Benedict blessed palms and olive branches with holy water and then processed through St. Peter's Square, wearing intricate, red- and gold-brocaded vestments and clutching a woven palm frond.

In his homily, Benedict urged the faithful to follow God with the innocence and purity of a child's heart.

"To recognize God, we must abandon the pride that dazzles us, that seeks to push us away from God," he said. To find God, he said, "we must learn to see with a young heart, one which isn't blocked by prejudice and dazzled by interests."

A few hundred young people carried massive palm fronds at the start of the procession through the square as part of the lead-up to celebrations for the Catholic Church's annual World Youth Day.

Benedict plans to attend World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, in July.

[big'ol_freeper]

I am sure that many Iraqi’s are happy that their civil life was broken; not so much their social life.

The statement is a good reminder that we need to pray for Christians in Iraq who’s plight has been ignored; sacrificed on the altar of “make nice with the Sunnis and Shiites”. The Catholic Church seems to be the only one speaking up for them.

[kellynla]

“Enough with the slaughters. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!”

Unfortunately the Muslims aren’t listening.

And sooner or later we are going to have to give them the Jihad they so desperately want.

[r9etb]

Unfortunately the Muslims aren’t listening. And sooner or later we are going to have to give them the Jihad they so desperately want.

Blanket bigotry like that will pretty much guarantee it, son -- and it's not even necessary. It's ok to differentiate between Islamic terrorists and other Muslims. You won't go to hell for it.

[livius]

It’s really unfortunate that Bush has been so obsessed with the idea of making nice to Muslims that he seems unwilling to intervene in any way to protect Christians. Muslims won’t do it voluntarily, or at least, not the radical flakes in Iraq (although I’m sure that the great majority of the Muslims there really don’t care and wouldn’t bother Christians, left to their own devices). But Bush, like Clinton before him, seems bound and determined to make it clear that the US has no particular bond with Christians.

[r9etb]

Muslims won’t do it voluntarily, or at least, not the radical flakes in Iraq

Pssst.... in case you missed it, the radical flakes in Iraq don't even protect other Muslims. They're terrorists.

That you fail to distinguish between terrorists and Muslims in general, marks you as rather short-sited. If we are to win in Iraq, it will be because the Muslim population of Iraq learns to behave in a civilized manner -- and that seems to be happening.

But if you want to lose in Iraq, by all means take care to lump every Muslim there into the "terrorist" camp -- and you'll get your wish.

[kellynla]

“Blanket bigotry like that will pretty much guarantee it, son — and it's not even necessary. It's ok to differentiate between Islamic terrorists and other Muslims.”

First, I'm not your “son”
Second, the only thing that will “guarantee” the cessation of Islamic terrorist attacks are Muslims.
Finally, the only difference in “Islamic terrorists and "other Muslims” is terror. When “other Muslims” start “taking out their own trash” then Muslim terrorism will cease and then we can start living in peace.

But of course, the Muslims aren't interested in peace; they want you, me and every other non-Muslim d...e...a...d.
If Muslims wanted to live in peace they wouldn't be Muslims now would they.
Let us all know when you "get it!"

Class Dismissed!

[rmgatto]

Benedict should spend as much effort cleaning up the pedophile priest scandal—including the Church’s complicity—as he does denouncing military and political actions. As an alumnus of the Hitler Youth, he should know a just fight against tyranny when he sees it. And he should render to Ceasar what is his. It’s hard to remain a practicing Catholic with this kind of nonsense coming from the top.

[IrishCatholic]

Well, keep practicing because you suck at it.
I think you hit every bigoted two knuckle deep nose picking anti Catholic sentiment there is.

[big'ol_freeper]

What pedophile priest scandal? I am aware of a homosexual priest scandal, but other than liberals spewing false charges of pedophile priests, I have never seen claims of or any priest charged with any wrongdoing associated with pre-pubescent children (that is what pedophilia is). Is there a pedophilia scandal in the public schools? Interesting that with all the abuse of teenagers going on there you never see it described as pedophilia...why?

Are you trying to advance the homosexual agenda by diverting attention from the immorality and destructiveness of homosexuality or are you just a useful idiot for the liberal agenda to do the same?

[jmaroneps37]

“Enough with the slaughter in Iraq...” Bring back Saddam’s men and the rape rooms. After all America is a force for evil in the world right?” Holy Father, please stick matters of Faith and Morals.

[livius]

Er, you may not have noticed in your screed, but that was exactly what I was doing - distinguishing between the ordinary guy who probably doesn’t care and just wants to get on with his life, and the radical flakes.

The problem is that our passivity has encouraged the radical flakes to attack Christians (and our enshrining Islam in the Iraqi constitution encouraged both parties of radical flakes to think they could get control of the country, so I think it even encouraged fighting between the Muslims themselves).

[P-Marlowe]

"Enough with the slaughters. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!" Benedict said to applause at the end of his Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square.

Is this a call on America to withdraw its troops? Will that stop the killing?

[SkyPilot]

I didn't know the Pope had this power to declare Evil to stop.

Is he going to calm the storms and walk on water next?

He isn't Jesus.

Evil will continue on this earth until Christ returns and defeats it.

The Pope's job is to win souls for Jesus Christ.

He should get back to it.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Bump

[P-Marlowe]

Holy Father, please stick matters of Faith and Morals.

Are you his boss, or is he your boss?

[livius]

I don’t think that’s what he’s saying. I think, judging from things he’s said before, that he wants the Muslims to stop killing Christians (and each other) and wants the US to do more to ensure stability. Saddam was awful, but he was a dictator who didn’t want anybody else getting on his turf - he wasn’t about to share power with a mad mullah, and consequently he ruled with an iron fist and kept the Islamic factions down, giving Christians relative security as a result.

Personally, I don’t think the Iraqis were ready for self-government when we gave it to them, and I think there should really have been a period of very firm occupation. But Bush was under a lot of pressure to get moving and get out of there. In addition, I think he was naive; none of us knew then what we know now about Islam and the Muslim propensity for slaughter.

Aside from that, the US never protects Christians, almost as a point of pride, I think.

[SkyPilot]

Benedict should spend as much effort cleaning up the pedophile priest scandal—including the Church’s complicity—as he does denouncing military and political actions.

I think that is fair criticism. He has never dealt with this issue head on, although, he is much more conservative and direct on the issue than was John Paul II - who simply ignored it for years and years - even when it became a tidal wave.

As an alumnus of the Hitler Youth, he should know a just fight against tyranny when he sees it.

In fairness to him - he didn't joining voluntarily, and he left that group. Moreover, every youth in Deutschland in the 1930's (girls included) were required to join a Hitler cult organization.

And he should render to Ceasar what is his. It’s hard to remain a practicing Catholic with this kind of nonsense coming from the top.

The words of Christ are amazing, are they not? No doubt that the Pharisee who tried to trick Christ into either supporting taxes or Rome was probably saying "How did this uneducated rube from backwater Galilee come up with that response so quickly and turn the tables on me?"

As I said previously on this thread, the Pope should concentrate on winning souls for Jesus Christ. Declaring and End to Evil and "Enough" is not his call. It is God's.

[P-Marlowe]

I don’t think that’s what he’s saying. I think, judging from things he’s said before, that he wants the Muslims to stop killing Christians (and each other) and wants the US to do more to ensure stability.

If he really wanted that, he would be urging the nations that have refused to go to Iraq to join with the US in assisting Iraq to get stabilized.

No, he wants the US out of Iraq, so the newspapers will leave Iraq and then we won't hear about all the atrocities anymore and people will stop asking HIM questions about the place. You don't see him crying for peace in Iran do you?

[joebuck]

Excellent comeback to a preetty snide comment.