Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) – “Terrorism is anything but weakened and it demonstrates that it is able to attack, destroy and kill choosing its objectives through which to transmit its messages regardless of any side effects there may be. The targets are obviously the United States, Israel, the West, but with the attacks in Ryad and Casablanca the main intention was to strike those respective Arab governments guilty of conniving with the hated West, while in Hebron, Jerusalem and Gaza punctual as ever there appeared the suicide terrorism which comes into action every time there is any glimpse of the possibility of negotiation between the sides in conflict”. Jesuit Father Pasquale Borgomeo, Director of Vatican Radio reviewed the most recent series of terrorist attacks ever more bloody, in an editorial broadcast on One-O-Five fm.
What can be done? First of all stop talking about war and speak more of the fight against terrorism to emphasise that the response to this epochal challenge must be multi-form and that therefore military intervention against States is not the only or even the most effective of measures. Terrorism is not of one type – says Father Borgomeo, there are many types of terrorism, all to be condemned for their methods, but not all inspired and moved by the same motivations. Faced with these scenes we must develop the efficiency of intelligence; restore the role of politics, a politics of more collaboration among all civilised countries, without unilateralism, with respect for international legality, in the same of common interests; empower the United Nations to safeguard international legality and prevent the superpower from becoming a fact which guarantees a new international order founded on force. Indispensable, decisive, for fighting terrorism is, lastly, the struggle against injustices, iniquitous disparities in living conditions which afflict the planet, discrimination, racism, violation of huamn rights: ideal seedbeds, all of these, for all terrorism present and future. SL (Fides Service 22/5/2003 EM lines 24Words: 331)
