Pope Warns That War Could Bring 'Religious Catastrophe'

Washington Post ^ | March 30, 2003 | Reuters

[DED]

VATICAN CITY, March 29 -- Pope John Paul II said today he hoped that the human tragedy of the war in Iraq would not set Christians and Muslims against each other and spark "a religious catastrophe."

"War must never be allowed to divide world religions," he told visiting Roman Catholic bishops from Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. The pope said good inter-religious relations were important "at this moment of heightened tension in the entire world community."

The pope is opposed to the war in Iraq and led a Vatican diplomatic campaign to avert it. The Iraq conflict has put the Vatican at odds with the Bush administration because the pope has refused to bless the conflict as a "just war."

In the months before the Iraq war began, John Paul lobbied in favor of a negotiated solution. He has said there is no legal or moral justification for the military action, and has worried about how it could affect relations between Christians and Muslims.

[demosthenes the elder]

someone needs to inform His Holiness of the Muslim doctrine of Dar al Islam and Dar al Harb.
Separation of the religions by war is inherent in Islam as presently constituted.

[demosthenes the elder]

IIRC, "Papal Infallibility" has been invoked only two times.
Once over the immaculate conception, and one other I forget about what.
correct me, please, if I recall incorrectly.

[Smocker]

come on! the Pope was not speaking infallibly, he was speaking in a different capacity.

[Claire Voyant]

You could be correct...I don't know for sure. Problem is that people think he is infallible with everything that comes out of his mouth.

[Smocker]

I'd like to add, I don't even trust the report that the Pope weighted in on any of this. My guess would be his Vatican handlers put out the press release.

[tbpiper]

Even experts in their own fields can miss it sometimes. The only man who was ever infallible was Jesus. Everyone else is suspect to some degree. (This is a discussion for another forum).

[The Real Eddie01]

For whatever reason, the pope has been enlisted to divide the Christain community on the war.

Whoda thought.

Whoda thought the pope would have voted against Moses leading the Israelites out of bondange in Egypt.

Whoda thought that the pope would have been one of the passersby that did not stop in the story of the good samaritan. (Only in this case the robbers are still on scene)

Incredible.

Certainly he wasn't thinking of the oppressed when his humaness reasoned it was better in the eyes of the Lord to allow the brutal rape torcher and murder of the Iraqi people to continue. I very much doubt he speaks for G-d regarding this issue. So who is he speaking for?

Eddie01

[DED]

There were either some new revelations about this or a new book on the subject a while back. I can't remember exactly, but I remember there was a fairly extensive article in on of the news magazines. I'm going to have to try to find it.
However, right now, I'm trying to slog my way through Sachar's "History of Israel". I wanted to know understand the background of the Palestinian problem and this is the only book I could find. I'd have preferred something a wee bit more condensed than 800+ pages!

[Smocker]

And...who brought up infallibility in this discussion?
You?
Yes!
Just as I thought.

[tbpiper]

Scuze me, but your the one who got pissy about it. Check your mail.

[Centurion2000]

bump for later review.

[Wrigley]

"War must never be allowed to divide world religions," Has the pope ever read the Bible?

What fellowship hath light with darkness?

What he means is "War must never be allowed to divide the world's false religions,"

bump. Interesting thought.

[Alex Murphy]

Was he off base well before he became pope; has he been brainwashed since; or is he an imposter or what?

You left out the possibility that he's been replaced by a pod-person...

[fortheDeclaration]

Has the pope ever read the Bible?

Ofcourse he has!

He has the one that is based on the Greek text of Nestle/Alland and the UBS, the same one that the Roman Catholic Cardinal Carlo Martini helped edit.

[asformeandformyhouse]

He has said there is no legal or moral justification for the military action, and has worried about how it could affect relations between Christians and Muslims.

Perhaps many of these current Mulsims will become Christians once they have some semblance of freedom and can potentially hear the gospel. I'm always amazed at the number of religious leaders that oppose this war but never once stop to think that this may a providential means to further the gospel message. Maybe it's because many of these leaders aren't actually concerned with spreading the gospel.

[Robert Drobot]

" Maybe it's because many of these leaders aren't actually concerned with spreading the gospel."

There you go again. You truth seeker you.

[Burkeman1]

Yeah- shut the Holy Father up. Hey hero. Why not wait till we count the dead from this war before you plan the next from the safety of you computer?

[sinkspur]

Why not wait till we count the dead from this war before you plan the next from the safety of you computer?

There may not be a "next one."

[Burkeman1]

[sinkspur]

Didn't work.