Pope urges cuts in spending on arms to feed poor

-10/01/06

Pope Benedict has urged cuts


Pope urges cuts in spending on arms to feed poor

-10/01/06

Pope Benedict has urged cuts in arms spending to feed the poor.

In a speech yesterday (Monday) he also warned of a clash of civilisations caused by the ìmoral perversionî of terrorism, and called for peace between Israel and Palestinians.

The comments from the 78-year-old German Pope came in his first ìstate of the worldî address – a traditional new year speech to diplomats accredited to the Vatican from more than 170 countries.

Campaigners against the commercial arms trade have persistently pointed to a link between arms sales and international instability.

Benedict, elected last April, said parts of the world had witnessed ìappalling scenes of military conflictî and urged all nations to shun the ìlaw of mightî to solve disputes.

He said the Holy Land was a ìnerve point of the world sceneî and the solution of problems there was vital for international peace.

ìThere, the State of Israel has to be able to exist peacefully in conformity with the norms of international law; there, equally, the Palestinian people has to be able to develop serenely its own democratic institutions for a free and prosperous future,î he said.

He said peace in the Middle East and elsewhere was possible only when diversity and equality among people was mutually recognised and respected and when all parties in conflict acknowledged their own errors and sought forgiveness.

The danger of a ìclash of civilisationsî had been ìmade more acute by organised terrorism, which has already spread over the whole planet,î the Pope said.

ìIts causes are many and complex, not least those to do with political ideology, combined with aberrant religious ideas. Terrorism does not hesitate to strike defenceless people, without discrimination, or to impose inhuman blackmail, causing panic among entire populations, in order to force political leaders to support the designs of the terrorists,î he said.

ìNo situation can justify such criminal activity, which covers the perpetrators with infamy, and it is all the more deplorable when it hides behind religion, thereby bringing the pure truth of God down to the level of the terroristsí own blindness and moral perversion,î he added.

He said he was thinking especially of Iraq, ìthe cradle of great civilisations, which in these past years has suffered daily from violent acts of terrorismî.

Benedict said peace did not mean merely the absence of war.

ìOne cannot speak of peace in situations where human beings are lacking even the basic necessities for living with dignity,î he said, urging the world community to tackle the scourge of starvation, of the homeless, of refugees.

ìAre these human beings not our brothers and sisters? Do their children not come into the world with the same legitimate expectations of happiness as other children?î he asked.


Pope urges cuts in spending on arms to feed poor

-10/01/06

Pope Benedict has urged cuts in arms spending to feed the poor.

In a speech yesterday (Monday) he also warned of a clash of civilisations caused by the ‘moral perversion’ of terrorism, and called for peace between Israel and Palestinians.

The comments from the 78-year-old German Pope came in his first ‘state of the world’ address – a traditional new year speech to diplomats accredited to the Vatican from more than 170 countries.

Campaigners against the commercial arms trade have persistently pointed to a link between arms sales and international instability.

Benedict, elected last April, said parts of the world had witnessed ‘appalling scenes of military conflict’ and urged all nations to shun the ‘law of might’ to solve disputes.

He said the Holy Land was a ‘nerve point of the world scene’ and the solution of problems there was vital for international peace.

‘There, the State of Israel has to be able to exist peacefully in conformity with the norms of international law; there, equally, the Palestinian people has to be able to develop serenely its own democratic institutions for a free and prosperous future,’ he said.

He said peace in the Middle East and elsewhere was possible only when diversity and equality among people was mutually recognised and respected and when all parties in conflict acknowledged their own errors and sought forgiveness.

The danger of a ‘clash of civilisations’ had been ‘made more acute by organised terrorism, which has already spread over the whole planet,’ the Pope said.

‘Its causes are many and complex, not least those to do with political ideology, combined with aberrant religious ideas. Terrorism does not hesitate to strike defenceless people, without discrimination, or to impose inhuman blackmail, causing panic among entire populations, in order to force political leaders to support the designs of the terrorists,’ he said.

‘No situation can justify such criminal activity, which covers the perpetrators with infamy, and it is all the more deplorable when it hides behind religion, thereby bringing the pure truth of God down to the level of the terrorists’ own blindness and moral perversion,’ he added.

He said he was thinking especially of Iraq, ‘the cradle of great civilisations, which in these past years has suffered daily from violent acts of terrorism’.

Benedict said peace did not mean merely the absence of war.

‘One cannot speak of peace in situations where human beings are lacking even the basic necessities for living with dignity,’ he said, urging the world community to tackle the scourge of starvation, of the homeless, of refugees.

‘Are these human beings not our brothers and sisters? Do their children not come into the world with the same legitimate expectations of happiness as other children?’ he asked.