John Paul II rejected recourse to war as a means to resolve differences -- with the exception of legitimate defense -- and urged respect for humanitarian law in armed conflicts. "It is precisely when arms are unleashed, that the need becomes imperative for laws that make military operations less inhuman," the Pope said in a message sent to a course for military chaplains, organized by the Holy See in Rome. The course runs today and Wednesday. The Holy Father's words came at a crucial moment in the development of events in the Anglo-American military operations in Iraq. The course of...
