APOSTOLIC Nuncio, Archbishop Francesco Canalini has commended the Australia’s bishops for standing in solidarity with Pope John Paul II against the war on Iraq, and has stressed the importance of continuing dialogue with Muslims.
Archbishop Canalini addressed the opening session of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference plenary meeting in Sydney on May 9.
‘Our present meeting is overshadowed by the recent war in Iraq and its tragic consequences – deaths, injuries, widows, orphans, destroyed families, prolonged deprivation of the basic necessities of life, along with fear, uncertainty and anxiety – all elements deeply affecting the survivors,’ he said.
Archbishop Canalini said the bishops’ solidarity with the Pope’s efforts to avoid conflict in Iraq had given a clear message of the Church’s concern for the human dimension in war.
He said that, at the heart of the Pope’s efforts to avoid war, was his tEeaching that peace rested on the conversion of hearts and conscience, and on the persuasion that peace was a gift of God, though requiring human co-operation.
In highlighting the importance of continuing dialogue with Muslims, Archbishop Canalini recognised the Pope’s deep determination to avoid a ‘clash of civilisations’.
