VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI called Sunday for immediate peaceful dialogue in Libya saying he was concerned about the safety of civilians there and urged “reconciliation” across the Middle East.
“I launch a heartfelt appeal to international organisations and those with political and military responsibilities to immediately launch a dialogue that will suspend the use of arms,” he told pilgrims in the Vatican. “Faced with the ever more dramatic news coming from Libya, my concern over the safety and security of the civilian population is growing, as is my fear for how the situation is developing with the use of arms,” he said.
“At moments of the highest tension, it becomes more urgent to use every diplomatic method available and to support even the weakest signal of openness and of willingness for reconciliation from all sides involved,” he added.
In his speech, the pope also referred to unrest across the region. “My thoughts… go to the authorities and citizens of the Middle East where there have been various acts of violence that there too the path of dialogue and reconciliation may be chosen for a fair and brotherly co-existence.”
The Vatican’s official daily Osservatore Romano earlier said France had been “hasty” in launching into a military operation against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi’s regime and said there was “great confusion” over strategy.
The Catholic Church’s main clergyman in Libya, Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, said last week that the uprising there was “a generational revolt.” “Even if the economic situation in Libya is not among the worst, young people are looking for hope in the future,” Martinelli was quoted as saying by the Misna religious news agency, which reports on the developing world.
“There have been repressive measures against the protesters but it has to be said that the protests were also very energetic,” Martinelli said.
