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Pope: Saddam regime 'oppressive'

The pope: Pushed for a diplomatic solution over Iraq.
The pope: Pushed for a diplomatic solution over Iraq.

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VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II, who strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, said in his annual "state of the world" message that the country had, however, now been "ridded of an oppressive regime."

In his message to the Vatican's diplomatic corps, the pope also urged all countries to forswear terrorism and violence.

"The important thing today is that the international community help the Iraqis, who have been ridded of an oppressive regime," he said in his written speech to the diplomats, who included representatives from both Washington and Baghdad.

Last year, the pope dispatched senior cardinals to both U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in an 11th-hour effort to avoid the conflict. U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq on March 20, toppling Saddam three weeks later.

The Vatican had argued that Iraq should be disarmed but wanted a diplomatic solution to the Iraqi crisis under the auspices of the United Nations.

The pope said Iraqis must now be "put in a position to take up the reins of their country, to consolidate their sovereignty."

In the build-up to war, the Vatican avoided openly branding Saddam an oppressor in an attempt to maintain communications channels with Baghdad, whose Christian deputy prime minister, Tareq Aziz, held talks with the pope in February.

Privately, however, the Vatican was very critical of Saddam and hoped to the last that he would step down to avoid the war.

Clear voice

The 83-year-old pope, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, skipped parts of his French language message, including a few phrases about Iraq, to conserve his strength. The Vatican considers the text given to the diplomats the official record.

The pope, who spoke in a clear voice and later greeted all of the diplomats and their consorts individually, said terrorism "sows fear, hate and fanaticism and dishonors all the causes it pretends to serve."

He said all civilized countries should "categorically refuse links with violence" and added: "We can never resign ourselves to accept passively that violence take peace as a hostage."

He once again called for a resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, saying "terrorism on the one hand and reprisals on the other" were getting the region nowhere.

He also paid tribute to Archbishop Michael Courtney, the Vatican envoy to Burundi who was killed there last month, and to Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Brazilian U.N. diplomat killed when a truck bomb devastated U.N. headquarters in Baghdad in August.



Copyright 2004 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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