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      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- During a day-long trip to the city of Ancona on May 30, Pope John Paul II renewed his appealed for peace in the Balkans.

      Pointing out that the history of Ancona ties that city to the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine traditions, the Holy Father used the 1000th anniversary celebration of the Ancona cathedral to emphasize the need for unity in Europe, stretching across the continent from West to East. He remarked that just across the Adriatic Sea from Ancona, the "implacable violence" of war is tearing apart the former republics of Yugoslavia-- in fighting which he said represents "a defeat for humanity."

      The Pope also mentioned the many other, especially on the African continent, who are "paying an unacceptable cost in human lives, hunger, misery, and humiliation" because of "fratricidal conflicts which often ignore public sentiments." He urged all political leaders to fulfill their duties in "safeguarding human rights," and prayed that humanity in general would find "the courage for reconciliation."

      After his appearance at the city's cathedral, the Pope visited a hospital in Ancona, where he again spoke of the Balkan conflict. "Even the hospitals themselves have not been spared from the results of the conflict there," he said. He again spoke out against "fratricidal hatred," which he said is "a more serious evil" and "the foremost sickness of the spirit," for which the only cure is "conversion, pardon, and reconciliation."

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