Pope condemns violence in Russia, Spain, Maluku
Pope condemns violence in Russia, Spain, Maluku
VATICAN CITY (Reuters): Pope John Paul on Wednesday condemned bombings in Russia and Spain and made a renewed appeal for an end to fighting between Christians and Muslims on the Indonesian Maluku islands.
Speaking to thousands of pilgrims packed into St Peter's Square for his weekly audience, the Pope made special mention of the bomb blasts which killed eight people in Russia and one person in Spain on Tuesday.
"I deeply deplore this grave attack and wish to express my solidarity which I accompany with prayer," the Pope said of the bomb blast in a Moscow underpass, which also injured more than 90 people.
"I wish to express equal feelings for the victims of the attacks which, unfortunately, continue in Spain," the 80-year-old Pontiff added.
The two car bombs which exploded in Spain on Tuesday killed a prominent businessman and injured 11 people in the latest incidents in an escalating campaign of violence blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA.
The Pope also repeated previous calls for an end to the bloodshed in Maluku where fighting between Muslims and Christians erupted in January 1999.
"Once again I feel the need to invite you to pray for an end to the violence which is shaking the Indonesian archipelago of the Moluccas (Maluku)," the Pope said.
"While entrusting the numerous victims of that tragedy to the mercy of God, we send thoughts of intense spiritual closeness to those who are suffering over the deaths of their loved ones, who have been stripped of their means of survival and over the destruction of their holy sites.
"Many of them were forced to leave their land where they have the right to live in dignity and safety. We pray to the Lord that, once order is restored, harmony can be found again and Christians and Muslims can live in peace," the Pope said.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country, with about 90 percent of its population of around 210 million following Islam.
But the Maluku spice islands are almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims and were once held up as a symbol of religious harmony.