The Pope today issued his strongest message yetin opposition to possible war in Iraq, telling Vatican diplomats thatmilitary force must be "the very last option."
John Paul said a renewed conflict with Baghdadwould only harm ordinary Iraqis, "already sorely tried" by UNsanctions imposed after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.
Amid a massive buildup of US forces in the Gulf,the Pope called for stepped-up diplomacy and dialogue, saying war isnot inevitable.
"War is never just another means that one canchoose to employ for settling differences between nations," he toldthe Vatican's diplomatic corps in his annual speech at the start ofthe new year.
"As the Charter of the United Nations organisationand international law itself remind us, war cannot be decidedupon,even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except asthe very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions,without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population bothduring and after the military operations."
The pontiff's speech, delivered in the frescoedSala Regia of the Apostolic Palace, marked his strongest message yetin opposition to war, and it was the first time since the crisiserupted that he has publicly mentioned Iraq by name.
Previously, the Pope has only referred in generalto the threats of war and, in his Christmas message, called on theworld to "extinguish the ominous smouldering of aconflict."
In his speech, the Pope also touched on otherissues facing the world, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflictas well as what he called the risks to the dignity of human life,including abortion, euthanasia and human cloning.
January 13, 2003
The Irish Examiner