NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN CITY (CWNews.com) - Former Polish President Lech Walesa said on Thursday that Pope John Paul II is worried about the loss of life resulting from the US and British attacks on Iraq this week. Walesa received a private audience with the Holy Father on Thursday.

      Walesa said, "The Pope has been informed about what is happening in Iraq and every drop of blood causes suffering for the Holy Father." The Pontiff had already made an oblique reference to the strikes in a speech to new ambassadors on Thursday morning. "Peace is again threatened in the Middle East. Reconciliation, which is based on dialogue, justice and the right of each person and peoples to live in security ... is more urgent than ever," he said.

      "It is a particular duty of the international community to promote solutions which lead to peace and the renewal of life in society, and to assume the responsibility to avoid the diversions which make people innocent victims," the Pope said.