Pope Prays for Peace in Georgia

(August 18, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called for the immediate creation of a humanitarian corridor to speed aid to refugees in Georgia and for respect for the rights of ethnic minorities caught up in the conflict. Pope Benedict told pilgrims at his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo near Rome that he felt especially close to the victims and was following developments in Georgia with worry. «I call for the opening, without delay, of a humanitarian corridor between the region of southern Ossetia and the rest of Georgia, so that the dead, still abandoned, can receive a dignified burial, the wounded can be properly treated, and those who want to reach their loved ones can do so,». Russian military authorities issued conflicting reports Sunday about whether Russian troops had begun to pull out of South Ossetia, one of Georgia's two separatist provinces. The United States and France have charged that Russia is defying a cease-fire deal in the 11-day-old conflict between Georgia and Russia. Pope Benedict expressed concern about ethnic minorities caught up in the conflict and said that there must be guarantees that the ethnic minorities involved in the conflict be unharmed and that their fundamental rights be never trampled. «I further hope, that the current truce, obtained with the contribution of the European Union, is shored up and transformed into stable peace, » the Pope said, renewing his appeal for a lasting solution through dialogue. In his Angelus Message Pope Benedict gave a brief instruction on the Gospel saying, that Jesus invites us, after the example of the Canaanite woman, to profess our faith and our complete trust in God. He alone, through the power of his Word and his Holy Spirit, can touch our hearts and save us. At the end the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims present saying that their stay in Castel Gandolfo and Rome draw them nearer to Christ, and gave his Apostolic Blessing.