Outside Mass in Maynooth : Meanwhile the Pope in Rome equates War and Terrorism calls for M5 fast

Sunday February 23, 2003 19:40

by Eamonn Crudden

A friend spent 4 hours outside a church in Maynooth today collecting signatures for a petition against US use of Shannon and against a war in Iraq. 400 signatures were collected which are being dispatched to the local TDs here at the edge of the city in Kildare. Interestingly - one priest saying mass refused to sign. Another well-heeled man said 'shure it's overpopulated over there anyway'. A lady senior Civil-Servant signed with her maiden name fearing repercussions. Most of those who refused to sign were described as looking 'well off'. Interesting. March 5th would be a good day for total athiests (like myself) to express solidarity with certain of our Catholic Brothers and Sisters in an orgamanised way?

Pope Calls for Fast Against War in Iraq
Sun Feb 23, 9:57 AM ET

By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II called on Catholics to fast on Ash Wednesday in the name of peace and said again on Sunday he worried a U.S.-led war against Iraq could unsettle the entire Middle East.

Looking wan and tired, John Paul opened his traditional Sunday remarks from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square by denouncing war as a way to resolve the conflict.

"We Christians in particular are called upon to be sentinels of peace," John Paul said, calling on Catholics to dedicate their fasting on Ash Wednesday, March 5, for the cause of peace.

On that day, the pope said, faithful will pray for "the conversion of hearts and the long-range vision of just decisions to resolve disputes with adequate and peaceful means."

He said that the fast, which Catholics traditionally conduct at the start of Lent to prepare themselves for Easter, is an "expression of penitence for the hate and violence which pollute human relations."

Fasting, an ancient practice shared by other religions, he said, also lets faithful "shed themselves of all arrogance."

Rainbow-hued peace banners fluttered in the crowd of tourists and pilgrims in the square. Surveys have shown Italians and many other Europeans oppose war, even if waged under the aegis of the United Nations (news - web sites), and earlier this month, about 1 million Italians marched through Rome to protest against the United States and its push for using military force.

"For months the international community is living in great apprehension for the danger of a war, which could unsettle the entire Middle East region and aggravate the tensions unfortunately already present in this beginning of the third millennium," the pontiff said.

"It is the duty of all believers, to whichever religion they belong, to proclaim that we can never be happy pitted one against the other; the future of humanity will never able to be secured by terrorism and by the logic of war," John Paul said.

While the pope has been hailed as a champion of peace by anti-war demonstrators ranging from environmentalists to communists, some in Italy challenged his view.

Radical Party leaders Sunday denounced what they saw as the pontiff's "equating terrorism and war, whatever war." Led by Marco Panella, the Radicals say they would like to see Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) in exile and a democratic government under U.N. auspices to replace the Iraqi leader