Pope launches urgent appeal for an end to use of weapons in Libya
Following the midday Angelus prayer this Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI launched the following
urgent appeal:
"Faced with the increasingly dramatic reports from Libya, my
trepidation for the safety and security of civilians and my concern for the unfolding
situation, currently signed by the use of arms, is growing. In times of greatest tension,
the need to put to use all means available to diplomacy becomes increasingly urgent
and to support even the weakest signs of openness and willingness on both sides involved,
for reconciliation in search of peaceful and lasting solutions. In view of this,
as I lift my prayer to the Lord for a return to harmony in Libya and the entire North
African region, I also appeal to the international bodies and all those in positions
of military and political responsibility, for the immediate start of dialogue and
the suspension of the use of weapons”.
"Finally, my thoughts turn to the authorities
and citizens of the Middle East, where in recent days there have been several incidents
of violence, so that the path of dialogue and reconciliation be privileged in the
search for a just and brotherly coexistence".