Vatican nuncio says U.S. credibility harmed by prison-torture story

Published: 2004-05-11

ROME (CNS) -- The Vatican's nuncio to Iraq said the torture of Iraqi citizens has dealt a severe blow to the credibility of the U.S.-led coalition. In an interview to be published in mid-May by the Italian Catholic magazine 30 Giorni (30 Days), Archbishop Fernando Filoni said "the Iraqi people feel their dignity has been injured, and they will not easily forget this very serious affair." He said the revelations of torture have stirred up "indignation" and "disillusion" among Iraqis. "All the bad things that happened in the past that everybody knows about, they are happening again today, even in the same places," he said. But even more serious, he said, "is that (the torture) is being done by those who have said they wanted to erase the past. Their credibility has been compromised, and I doubt it will ever be fully repaired."

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