Pope welcomes new Belgian diplomat, says EU must focus on peace

Published: 2006-10-26

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The international community, especially members of the European Union, must focus more energy on promoting peace, dialogue and development, Pope Benedict XVI said. Welcoming Frank de Coninck as Belgium's new ambassador to the Vatican Oct. 26, the pope expressed particular concern over "an international situation weakened by continuing conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, with the still-dramatic situations in the Holy Land, Lebanon and Iraq." Pope Benedict also called attention to issues that involve "the future of man and his identity," particularly because new developments in biotechnology have outpaced new reflections on the moral limits of using the technology. "In a certain number of countries," the pope said, "a void appears in new legislation that places at risk respect for human life from its conception to its natural end."

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