VATICAN CITY March 29 —
Pope John Paul II urged the faithful Saturday not to allow the
Iraq conflict stir up hatred between Christians and Muslims, saying
that would transform the war into a "religious catastrophe."
The pontiff, who strongly opposes the war, made the comments to
bishops from Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country with a small
Christian community.
"War must never be allowed to divide world religions," he said.
"I encourage you to take this unsettling moment as an occasion to
work together, as brothers committed to peace, with your own people,
with those of other religious beliefs and with all men and women of
good will in order to ensure understanding, cooperation and
solidarity.
"Let us not permit a human tragedy also to become a religious
catastrophe," he said.
John Paul said Christians in Indonesia suffer discrimination, and
he also cited last year's terror bombings in Bali that killed 202
people.
"In all of this, however, one must be careful not to yield to the
temptation to define groups of people by the actions of an extremist
minority," he said.
"Authentic religion does not advocate terrorism or violence, but
seeks to promote in every way the unity and peace of the whole human
family."
In the months before the Iraq war began, John Paul lobbied in
favor of a negotiated solution. He has said there is no legal or
moral justification for the military action, and has worried about
how it could affect relations between Christians and Muslims.
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