Vatican City (Fides Service) - At the end of Mass celebrated on Sunday 23 March in St Peter's Square for the beatification of three Spanish nuns, one French priest and a Hungarian/Austrian family man, known as the 'doctor of the poor', Pope John Paul II made yet another pressing call for peace. "We now turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary whom the new Blessed loved and venerated with special devotion. Through her intercession we implore, especially at this moment, the gift of peace. To her we entrust particularly the victims and their families who are suffering. I feel spiritually close to them with my affection and my prayers."
On Saturday 22 March receiving operators of the Italian Catholic television channel, TelePace, the Pope underlined the uselessness of arms to settle disputes, saying "when war threatens the destiny of humanity, as now the war in Iraq, it is even more urgent to proclaim loudly and with conviction that peace is the only path for building a society of justice and solidarity. Violence and arms can never resolve conflicts among people". See text in Italian at www.fides.org SL (Fides Service 24/3/2003 EM lines 19 Words: 213)