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From The Times
April 9, 2007

Pope condemns the continuing slaughter in Iraq and hunger in Africa

Richard Owen in Rome

In an implicit rebuke to Tony Blair and President Bush, the Pope lamented yesterday that “nothing positive” was coming from Iraq.

The country had been “torn apart by continual slaughter”, he said, while in Afghanistan there was growing unrest and instability. “How many wounds, how much suffering there is in the world,” he told the tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square to here his traditional Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) Easter address. “Peace is sorely needed.”

Pope Benedict XVI’s shimmering gold vestments contrasted with his list of world tragedies. He said that he was thinking of “the scourge of hunger, of incurable disease” and of “terrorism and kidnapping of people, of the thousand faces of violence which some people attempt to justify in the name of religion, of contempt for life, of the violation of human rights and the exploitation of persons”.

The reference to kidnapping came amid reports that the Taleban had killed the Afghan interpreter of Daniele Mastrogiacomo, the Italian journalist released by kidnappers last month.

President Karzai had freed five senior Taleban members to secure Mastrogiacomo’s release. The Taleban beheaded Mastrogiacomo’s driver and held his interpreter to try to secure the release of more of prisoners, but President Karzai ruled out any further releases.

The Pope, who turns 80 this month, said that in the Middle East “besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees”.

The Vatican has been a consistent opponent of the invasion of Iraq, with the late Pope John Paul II urging Mr Blair to avert the war early on.

Pope Benedict added that he deplored the catastrophic situation in Darfur and the violence in Congo, Somalia and Zimbabwe.

“I look with apprehension at the conditions prevailing in several regions of Africa,” he said.

All in all, the Pope is correct. He is following the position of his predecessor and is correct in doing so. Other issues on a religious or political nature can be discussed but this one he is, as they say in England, "spot on."

Stephen Garramone, Melbourne, FL

The Pope has a duty to speak out against war and injustice and this Pope will do that. I applaud his candor for what he see's as ills. You can't argue with the truth of what he said. To fail to recognize that the Catholic Church is already doing a lions share of the charitable work world wide for the hungry and diseased is to either ignore or be ignorant of the truth....check your facts. As far as ex-communicating combatants by Papal decree, well I think history shows that the Church was correct to distance itself from its political past and stick to the business of the salvation of souls. Peace.

lantz, kansas city,

I applaud Pope Benedict's condemnation of the Iraq war, if he is truly God's representative on Earth, he must do God's will, and God is sad and angry at the way His children are killing each other, whether it be in the name of religion, oil, gold or money. I hope every one of his successors keep condemning the illegal occupation of Iraq by the two biggest nuclear western powers.

Bruno, Stockport, UK

It's fine for the Pope to list everything that he sees to be wrong in the world.

I would rather see him dig deep into the fortune that he is sitting on in the Vatican and release a generous share of it to help the hungry and the diseased.

Raymond Lipton, Peterborough, Cambs

All vacuous talk, unless the Pope says that all catholics taking part in the Iraq war will be ex-communicated if they don't immediately refuse to continue on grounds of conscience.

alan, cologne,

In the U.S., big business, including the government
is in control of the country. They are not about democracy and freedom. They are about oil and world domination.
The American people do not agree with this agenda.
The war in Iraq is wrong. Everyone from the president on
down who is responsibe should be held accountable.

Michael White, Dalton, Mass.

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