March 5, 2003 In his general audience on Ash Wednesday, the Pope repeated his call for prayer and conversion aimed at avoiding war. He said: “As we enter the Lenten season, we need to be aware of today’s international situation, troubled by the tensions and threats of war. It is necessary that everyone consciously assume responsibility and engage in a common effort to spare humanity another tragic conflict. This is why I wanted this Ash Wednesday to be a Day of Prayer and Fasting to implore peace for the world. We must ask God, first of all, for conversion of heart, for it is in the heart that every form of evil, every impulse to sin is rooted; we must pray and fast for the peaceful coexistence of peoples and nations."
John Paul performed the annual Ash Wednesday liturgy, as is papal custom, at the Dominican basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill. He said: “This prospect of joy obliges believers to do everything possible to anticipate at the present time something of the future peace. This calls for the purification of heart and reinforcing of communion with God and with the brethren. This is the aim of the prayer and fasting to which, in the face of the threats of war looming on the horizon, I have invited the faithful. With prayer, we abandon ourselves totally into God’s hands, and from him alone we await true peace. With fasting, we prepare our hearts to receive peace from the Lord, his greatest gift and the privileged sign of the coming of his Kingdom. Prayer and fasting, however, must be accompanied by works of justice; conversion must be translated into welcome and solidarity. The ancient Prophet warns: ‘Is not this the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of wickedness, / to undo the thongs of the yoke, / to let the oppressed go free, / and to break every yoke?’ (Is 58,6). There will be no peace on earth while the oppression of peoples, social injustices and existing economic imbalances continue. Yet for the great and hoped for structural changes, extrinsic initiatives and mediations are not enough; above all, we need the unanimous conversion of hearts to love."
Cardinal Pio Laghi, former papal nuncio to the United States and John Paul’s special peace envoy, met with President George Bush in the White House to plead that war be avoided. Afterward he released this statement: “I was privileged to have been sent by the Holy Father as his Special Envoy to President George Bush. I assured him of the Holy Father’s great esteem and affection for the American people and the United States of America. The purpose of my visit was to deliver a personal message of the Holy Father to the President regarding the Iraqi crisis, to expound upon the Holy See’s position and to report on the various initiatives undertaken by the Holy See to contribute to disarmament and peace in the Middle East. Out of respect for the President and because of the importance of this moment, I am not in a position to discuss the substance of our conversation, nor am I able to release the text of the personal letter of the Holy Father to the President.
“The Holy See is urging those in positions of civil authority to take fully into account all aspects of this crisis. In that regard, the Holy See’s position has been twofold. First, the Iraqi government is obliged to fulfill completely and fully its international obligations regarding human rights and disarmament under the UN resolutions with respect for international norms. Second, these obligations and their fulfillment must continue to be pursued within the framework of the United Nations. The Holy See maintains that there are still peaceful avenues within the context of the vast patrimony of international law and institutions which exist for that purpose. A decision regarding the use of military force can only be taken within the framework of the United Nations, but always taking into account the grave consequences of such an armed conflict: the suffering of the people of Iraq and those involved in the military operation, a further instability in the region and a new gulf between Islam and Christianity.
“I want to emphasize that there is great unity on this grave matter on the part of the Holy See, the Bishops in the United States, and the Church throughout the world. I told the President that today, on Ash Wednesday, Catholics around the world are following the Pope’s request to pray and fast for peace this day. The Holy Father himself continues to pray and hope that all leaders who face difficult decisions will be inspired in their search for peace."
Laghi presided over the Ash Wednesday liturgy at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He delivered a homily, in which he said: “The Holy Father has worked untiringly for peace. He has not spared any effort in these last weeks to use every means available to him to ask those entrusted with the highest political authority ‘to make just decisions in order to resolve with adequate and pacific means the strife that hinders mankind on its journey in our times.’ He and his closest collaborators have received numerous leaders in the Vatican reminding them of the noble cause that is theirs when they build a world of peace. He sent a Special Envoy to the President of Iraq, and today he has sent me to the President of the United States. . . . The Church’s solicitude for peace has been a constant one and that is why she never tires in her work for the cause of peace. She believes that peace can always be constructed even in the darkest moments. She believes in the power of the human mind and the courage of the human heart to find peaceful solutions to disagreements, using the vast and rich patrimony of international law and institutions created for that very purpose. Oh, yes, they may be incomplete; they may act too slowly at times; they may not have yet even caught up to deal with realities of our times that threaten world order. But they are based on principles that are true and relative for all times: honest and patient dialogue between and among disagreeing parties and the absolute duty of each member of the family of nations to comply fully with all its obligations."
March 8, 2003 Martino gave an interview to the Misna missionary news agency in which he warned that war in Iraq would deliver a near-fatal blow to the United Nations. “If, notwithstanding the lack of sufficient votes or the veto, war were to come all the same, the UN would suffer such a humiliating defeat that I don’t know if it would be able to recover," Martino said. “In fact, it would end the scope for which the United Nations was created: the maintenance of peace and development."
March 9, 2003 The Pope delivered his Sunday Angelus address. He said: “In the present international context, there is a much stronger need to purify the conscience and convert the heart to true peace. In this regard, how much more eloquent is the image of Christ who exposes and overcomes the lies of Satan with the force of truth contained in the Word of God. In the inner heart of every person the voice of God and the insidious voice of the Evil One can be heard. The latter seeks to deceive the human person, seducing him with the prospect of false goods, to lead him away from the real good that consists precisely in fulfilling the divine will. But humble and confident prayer, reinforced by fasting, allows one to overcome even the harshest trials, and instills the necessary courage to combat evil with good. Thus Lent becomes a profitable time of spiritual training."
March 16, 2003 The Pope delivered his Sunday Angelus address, at one point departing from his prepared text to add personal comments about his experience of the Second World War. He spoke in unusually animated tones, waving his finger and raising his voice. He said: “I wish to renew an urgent appeal to intensify the commitment to prayer and penance, to invoke from Christ the gift of his peace. There is no peace without conversion of heart. The next few days will be decisive for the outcome of the Iraqi crisis. Let us pray, then, that the Lord inspire in all sides of the dispute courage and farsightedness.
“The political leaders of Baghdad certainly have the urgent duty to collaborate fully with the international community to eliminate every reason for armed intervention. To them I direct my urgent appeal: the fate of your fellow-citizens should always have priority. But I would also like to remind the member countries of the United Nations, and especially those who make up the Security Council, that the use of force represents the last recourse, after having exhausted every other peaceful solution, in keeping with the well-known principles of the UN Charter. That is why, in the face of the tremendous
consequences that an international military operation would have for the population of Iraq and for the balance of the Middle East region, already sorely tried, and for the extremisms that could stem from it, I say to all: There is still time to negotiate; there is still room for peace, it is never too late to come to an understanding and to continue discussions. To reflect on one’s duties, to engage in energetic negotiations does not mean to be humiliated, but to work with responsibility for peace. Moreover, we Christians are convinced that real and lasting peace is not only the fruit of necessary political agreements and understandings between individuals and peoples, but is the gift of God to all those who submit themselves to him and accept with humility and gratitude the light of his love.
“I belong to that generation that lived through World War II and, thanks be to God, survived it. I have the duty to say to all young people, to those who are younger than I, who have not had this experience: ‘No more war’ as Paul VI said during his first visit to the United Nations. We must do everything possible. We know well that peace is not possible at any price. But we all know how great is this responsibility. Therefore prayer and penance! Let us go forward confidently, dear Brothers and Sisters, in our Lenten journey. May the Blessed Virgin Mary obtain for us that this Lent may not be remembered as a sad time of war, but as a period of courageous effort for conversion and peace. We entrust this intention to the special intercession of St. Joseph whose Solemnity we will celebrate next Wednesday."
March 18, 2003 President George Bush set a final ultimatum for Saddam Hussein to go into exile, signaling abandonment of any hope of securing United Nations backing for the war. Vatican spokesperson Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following statement: “Whoever decides that all peaceful means that international law has put at our disposition have been exhausted assumes a serious responsibility before God, his conscience and history."
March 19, 2003 The Pope spoke at his general audience on the Feast of St. Joseph. He said: “May St. Joseph, the Patron of the universal Church, watch over the entire ecclesial community and, as the man of peace that he was, may he obtain for all humanity, especially for the peoples threatened at this time by war, the precious gift of harmony and peace."
March 20, 2003 Hostilities broke out in Iraq. Navarro-Valls issued a statement from the Vatican: “The Holy See has noted with profound sadness the unfolding of recent events in Iraq. On the one hand, it regrets that the Iraqi government did not welcome the resolutions of the United Nations and the appeal of the Pope that requested a disarmament of the country. On the other hand, the Holy See deplores that the path of negotiations was interrupted, according to international law, towards a peaceful solution of the Iraqi crisis. In such a situation, it is noted with satisfaction that the various Catholic institutions in Iraq continue to carry out their activity of assistance to those populations. In order to contribute to this work of solidarity, the Apostolic Nunciatura, directed by Archbishop Fernando Filoni, will remain open in this period in its location in Baghdad."
March 22, 2003 John Paul II received in audience a delegation from the Italian Catholic television channel Telepace. He said: “Telepace! Its name expresses the objective that the transmitter wants to realize. Telepace wants to be the television of peace, of that peace which is the gift of God and a humble and constant human achievement. When war threatens humanity’s destiny, as it does today in Iraq, it is even more urgent for us to proclaim with a loud and decisive voice that peace is the only way to build a more just and caring society. Violence and arms can never solve human problems."
Rumors appeared in the Italian press that the United States had asked governments, including the Holy See, to sever diplomatic relations with Iraq. French Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, gave an interview on the subject to Corriere della Sera . “I’m not aware of a request and it’s not in my competence to deal with it, but certainly the Holy See will not withdraw its own nuncios and will not break any diplomatic relations," Poupard said. “[The Vatican] will always take the opportunity to maintain every possible channel of communication, above all at times of conflict. It is not wise to leave the talking to missiles." Officials at the U.S. embassy to the Holy See later told the National Catholic Reporter that they had made no such direct request.
March 23, 2003 The Pope delivered his Sunday Angelus address. He said: “We now turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary. . . . Above all at this time we ask her for the gift of peace. To her especially, we entrust the victims of these hours of war and their families who are suffering. I feel spiritually close to them with my affection and my prayer."
March 24, 2003 John Paul received a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in audience at the Vatican. He said: “In a world situation filled with danger and insecurity, all Christians are called to stand together in proclaiming the values of the Kingdom of God. The events of recent days make this duty all the more urgent."
John Paul II received a group of military chaplains taking part in a study course in Rome. His language that day was perhaps his most blunt in rejecting the moral legitimacy of war. He also appeared to endorse the massive street protests in Europe and elsewhere in opposition to the conflict, referring positively to a “vast contemporary movement in favor of peace." The Pope said: “Your course is taking place at a difficult moment in history, when the world once again is hearing the clash of arms. The thought of the victims and the destruction and suffering caused by armed conflict brings ever-deeper anxiety and great sorrow. By now, it should be clear to all that the use of war as a means of resolving disputes between States was rejected, even before the UN Charter, by the consciences of the majority of humanity, except in the case of legitimate defense against an aggressor. The vast contemporary movement in favor of peace—which, according to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, is more than ‘the simple absence of war’ (Gaudium et spes, n. 78)—demonstrates this conviction of people of every continent and culture. In this context, the influence of the different religions in sustaining the quest for peace is a reason for comfort and hope. In our view of faith, peace, even if it is the fruit of political agreements and understanding between individuals and peoples, is the gift of God, whom we should insistently invoke with prayer and penance. Without conversion of heart there is no peace! Peace can only be achieved through love! Right now we are all asked to work and pray so that war may disappear from the horizon of humanity."
In an address to the Italian bishops, Ruini expresses reservations about the pacifist movements in response to the Iraq crisis. He called for “constant discernment . . . in order that the commitment to peace not be confused with markedly different objectives and interests, or polluted by arguments that are really based upon conflict." Ruini then made an explicit plea for solidarity with the United States. “The reasons for solidarity that bind together the nations of the West retain their profound validity even after the fading of the threat of the ‘Cold War,’ as their roots are planted in a heritage of values that they still have in common, even amid undeniable differences," he said. “This solidarity finds new motivation in the great changes that are dawning on the world’s horizon and which will require constructive and harmonious responses from the West."
In a comment to the National Catholic Reporter, Bishop Rino Fisichella, rector of the Lateran University and a powerful Vatican advisor, expressed concern that the antiwar movement in Europe was making a mistake by setting up America as the enemy. “This direction we are moving in, of isolating the United States, is terrible," he said. Fisichella said that in Italy there are forces “manipulating" the antiwar humor of the moment to grind old ideological axes against the United States and against the West.
March 26, 2003 The Pope spoke at his regular Wednesday General Audience. He said: “Dear friends, yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the first of the ‘joyful mysteries’ that celebrates the Incarnation of the Son of God, Prince of Peace. As we prayed the Rosary, we meditated
on this mystery, with our hearts oppressed by the news we are receiving from Iraq which is at war, without forgetting the other conflicts that rage around the globe. How important it is, during this Year of the Rosary, that we persevere in reciting the Rosary to ask for peace! I ask that it be continually recited, especially at the Marian shrines. To Mary, Queen of the Rosary, I now entrust my resolution to make a pilgrimage to her shrine at Pompeii, next 7 October, for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. May Mary’s maternal intercession obtain justice and peace for the whole world!"
A Roman newspaper reported that the Vatican was planning to offer exile to four Iraqi diplomats who had been expelled from Italy. Spokesperson Navarro-Valls told the National Catholic Reporter that this was “rubbish," that no request had reached the Holy See, and that the Vatican had no plans to take in the expelled diplomats. “It would be very strange," Navarro said.
March 28, 2003 A twenty-six-year-old Austrian named Andreas Siebenhoer took off from Rome’s Villa Pamphili park in a flying seat borne aloft with a parachute and a small blower. He sailed across the skies of the city for fifteen minutes, violating Vatican airspace and landing at the edge of St. Peter’s Square. Siebenhoer wanted to deliver a petition to John Paul II with more than two thousand signatures supporting the Pope’s position on the war. He was part of a group of eight young Austrians and Germans who had been making flights for peace across Europe, accompanied by a seventy-three-year-old Franciscan named Fr. Pascal Shou. In the case of the drop-in at the Vatican, however, Siebenhoer said he acted on his own. Siebenhoer was taken into custody by Italian police, then released. The group had spent the previous night at Sant’ Anselmo, the Benedictine monastery on the Aventine hill.
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