Pope calls for Iran crisis solution
Pope calls for Iran crisis solution
Also In The News
|
Dennis Bergkamp took the plaudits as Arsenal left it late to beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1 at Highbury. |
Sunday, 16, Apr 2006 02:00
Pope Benedict XVI has delivered his Easter message from St Peter's Square in Rome, calling for a solution to the Iran nuclear crisis.
He also took the opportunity to speak about Israel's "right to exist in peace", as the address was broadcast live on television to more than 50 countries and 100,000 people gathered in the square.
This is the first Easter that the pope has celebrated since he took over the role after the death of John Paul II nearly one year ago.
In his message 'Urbi et Orbi', the pope placed particular emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and called for an end to terrorism.
"May the international community, which reaffirms Israel's just right to exist in peace assist the Palestinian people to overcome the precarious conditions in which they live, and to build their future, moving toward the constitution of a state that is truly their own," he said.
The pope's words seemed to be an indirect criticism of declarations made by the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for the Jewish state of Israel to be "wiped off the map."
Referring to the crisis in Iran, he said: "Concerning the international crises linked to nuclear power, may an honourable solution be found for all parties, through serious and honest negotiations."
He also used his address to draw people's attention to the humanitarian crises in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
Yesterday's Easter Saturday vigil mass coincided with the pope's 79th birthday.
This time last year, Pope John Paul II was seriously ill and Pope Benedict XVI, then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, took his place at many of the ceremonies. John Paul II died six days after Easter.