Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Benedict XVI has led the Church in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Libya, saying he is concerned about the safety of civilians in the North African country and urging ‘reconciliation’ across the Middle East.

The senior bishop in Libya has backed the call for peace by the Holy Father, who spoke out after two weeks of air strikes by Britain and other nations against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s forces following the violent government suppression of civil protests in the country.

In London, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, the new Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, took the Pope’s message to an international summit on the future of Libya on Tuesday. Prior to the meeting, which he attended as Vatican observer, the archbishop spoke on the need for an immediate ceasefire.

Peace talks

The Pope made his strongest statement to date on the Libyan crisis on Sunday, calling on all combatants to immediately lay down arms.

“I launch a heartfelt appeal to international organisations and those with political and military responsibilities to immediately launch a dialogue that will suspend the use of arms,” the Holy Father said. “Faced with the ever more dramatic news coming from Libya, my concern over the safety and security of the civilian population is growing, as is my fear for how the situation is developing with the use of arms.

“At moments of the highest tension, it becomes more urgent to use every diplomatic method available and to support even the weakest signal of openness and of willingness for reconciliation from all sides involved.”

Reaction

Bishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, Apostolic vicar of Tripoli and Libya’s most senior Catholic clergyman, said the Pope’s call for an end to conflict was ‘wonderful news.’

“The Holy Father’s appeal was wonderful news and gives us great comfort,” the Apostolic vicar said. “The Pope spoke words that affirm the need for reconciliation, peace and dialogue. We have translated [the] appeal by the Holy Father into Arabic and we will send it as a voice message to the Libyan Foreign Ministry, for their information.”

The bishops of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya also issued a joint statement backing the Pope’s call for peace.

“We know that war solves nothing, and when it breaks out, it is just as uncontrollable as the explosion of a nuclear reactor,” the North African bishops said. “The first victims are always the poorest and most disadvantaged. Moreover, whether we like it or not, the war in the Near East, and now in the Maghreb, will always be interpreted as ‘a crusade.’”

London meeting

Archbishop Mennini brought the Pope’s message of peace to the international community on Tuesday. The nuncio represented the Vatican as an official observer at a special conference in London chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron and attended by 40 foreign ministers and the United Nations General Secretary.

Before the meeting, the archbishop said that he hoped the international community would accept the need for a ceasefire that will allow for effective humanitarian care to be given to those in need.

“A ceasefire is necessary, in order to bring a concrete and effective peace for all sides,” he said. “For the people are suffering under the air strikes but also under the previous suffering.

“There also needs to be a roadmap for peace in Libya, one that would be fair, to all people in Libya, apart from their political, religious or ethnic identity.”

Last week Bishop Richard Moth, the British Forces bishop, said all Catholics here should pray for a speedy resolution to the conflict.

“It must be hoped that the necessity for the use of force is over as soon as possible and that international forces continue to make every effort to avoid loss of life and unnecessary damage to the country’s infrastructure,” Bishop Moth said. “I would ask every parish community in these islands to continue to keep the people of Libya in prayer that a peaceful solution may soon be found, and to pray for those servicemen and women who are working to protect innocent civilians from harm.”

Bombardment

Protestors in Libya began calling for the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi, the country’s leader for 42 years, last month. The protest soon escalated into armed conflict, with Colonel Gaddafi controlling Tripoli and the rebel leaders making their headquarters in Benghazi. In the wake of reports of ‘massacres’ of the protestors and bombings of the rebel forces, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1973. This resolution authorised the international community to establish a no-fly zone, and to allow for the use of ‘all means necessary’ for the protection of Libyan civilians. NATO assumed control of that operation last weekend.

At the start of international military operations to impose a no-fly zone on Libya, the Pope previously urged world leaders to ensure ‘the safety of Libyan citizens and guarantee access to humanitarian aid.’

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