Pope warns diplomats that conflicts threaten global stability

Published: 2008-01-07

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Addressing diplomats from around the world, Pope Benedict XVI warned that numerous armed conflicts and social disorders have left global stability in a fragile situation. In Iraq, the pope said Jan. 7, the latest attack on Christian churches reflects a continuing climate of terrorism and violence in the country and illustrates the need for constitutional reform to safeguard the rights of minorities. On nuclear weapons, he urged the international community to undertake a joint effort to prevent terrorists from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction. The pope also condemned "continually perpetrated attacks" against human life, in areas ranging from the death penalty to biotechnology, and criticized efforts to weaken the traditional family and the institution of marriage. The world's problems illustrate that real solutions must be "solidly anchored in natural law, given by the Creator," he said. "This is another reason why God can never be excluded from the horizon of man or of history. God's name is a name of justice; it represents an urgent appeal for peace," he said.

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