Pope says peace of Christ will not be achieved through war

Published: 2004-01-21

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Highlighting the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope John Paul II said the peace promised by Jesus will never be won through war. "The world yearns for peace, it needs peace today as yesterday, but often it seeks peace with improper means, sometimes even with recourse to force or through the balance of opposing powers," the pope said at his general audience Jan. 21. "In such situations, man lives with a heart disturbed by fear and uncertainty. The peace of Christ, instead, reconciles souls, purifies hearts and converts minds," he said. The pope pronounced his talk in the Vatican's audience hall before several thousand people, including ecumenical delegations and a choir of Orthodox Christians from Moscow. The pope, who looked alert as he sat on his mobile throne, presided over prayers for Christian unity in several languages at the end of the audience.

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