VATICAN - PRESIDENT OF PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE CARDINAL MARTINO DECLARES: “AS POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS SO OFTEN SAID UNEQUIVOCALLY, NO JUSTIFICATION CAN BE GIVEN TO INDISCRIMINATE MASSACRE OF HELPLESS AND INNOCENT VICTIMS ”

Monday, 17 November 2003

Vatican City (Fides Service) – Referring to the tragic bombing in Istanbul, also on behalf of participants at a Seminar taking place at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in the Vatican on Leo XIII and the Holy See’s activity for Peace, Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council released the following declaration in Italian on Saturday 15 November at the meeting:
«Only three days after the tragedy at Nassiriya, the new explosion of terrorist homicidal violence unleashed today in Istanbul on two Jewish places of worship with such a tragic number of victims, gives rise to more horror and cannot fail to demand unconditioned condemnation by every human conscience. As Pope John Paul II has often said unequivocally no justification can be given to indiscriminate massacre of helpless and innocent victims. Hatred generates hatred, feeds the perverse spiral of revenge and brings only tears and blood. There are no short cuts, and even less violent ones, to the building of peace patiently, laboriously and disinterestedly, with a spirit of dialogue, political responsibility and rediscovered international solidarity. We entrust to God and to his Love the souls of those who died, we are close with affection to their families and we invoke the conversion of terrorists, who must forsake the paths of ferocity for those of good». (S.L.) (Fides Service 17/11/2003 – lines 16; words 215)


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