Pope criticises US for shunning Iraq diplomacy

April 21, 2008
Pope criticises US for shunning Iraq diplomacy

In a carefully-worded speech at the United Nations, Benedict underlined the need for diplomacy.

"Multilateral consensus continues to be in crisis because it is still subordinated to the decisions of a few, whereas the world's problems call for interventions in the form of collective action," he said, adding that international rules must be "binding".

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican representative at the UN, said Benedict wanted to attack "the false notion that might makes right".

Pope Rebukes Bush for the continuing slaughter in Iraq

April 9, 2007
Pope Rebukes Bush for the continuing slaughter in Iraq

In an implicit rebuke to Tony Blair and President Bush, the Pope lamented yesterday that "nothing positive" was coming from Iraq.

The country had been "torn apart by continual slaughter", he said, while in Afghanistan there was growing unrest and instability. "How many wounds, how much suffering there is in the world," he told the tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square to here his traditional Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) Easter address. "Peace is sorely needed."