Vatican buries the hatchet with Bush over Iraq

[StMichael]

Vatican buries the hatchet with Blair and Bush over Iraq

By Julian Coman and Bruce Johnston in Rome
(Filed: 10/10/2004)

Senior Vatican officials have decided to put aside their differences with Tony Blair over the war in Iraq, calling for multinational troop reinforcements to secure the country's fledgling democracy.

In February last year, both Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, offered some of the fiercest denunciations of Mr Blair and President George W Bush for their strike on Saddam Hussein.

Their private criticism of Mr Blair was made embarrassingly public by Vatican officials, who revealed at a press conference that the Pope had urged him to "make use of all the resources offered by international law to avoid the tragedy of war".

Now, in light of the post-war chaos, Cardinal Sodano has announced a newly hawkish line on Iraq from Rome. "The child has been born," he declared recently on behalf of the Vatican. "It may be illegitimate, but it's here, and it must be reared and educated."

Despite the Vatican's vociferous opposition to the war, the bloody terrorist attacks and the continuing insurgency have convinced the Pope that only an increased military presence, including Nato troops, can secure peace.

"There is a feeling that there really is no going back," said a Vatican adviser.

In a trenchant interview in the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, Cardinal Sodano said that as the crisis in Iraq deepened, the time had come to forget past differences over the decision to invade.

His comments appear to be part of an orchestrated campaign to galvanise military and financial support for a democratic Iraq among critics of the war such as France and Germany.


Both countries have refused to contribute troops to Iraq, while American and British occupation forces remain in the country.


A subsequent front page editorial in Avvenire, an influential Roman Catholic magazine which boasts Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's own vicar, as a board member, calls for "tens of thousands of Nato troops" to be sent to Iraq to assist the interim government and ensure free elections.


The prominent theologian, Vittorio Parsi, criticises the "laziness" of countries that have refused to commit troops to Iraq unless all occupation soldiers are removed. The Telegraph has learnt that the editorial was almost certainly commissioned by Cardinal Ruini.


"Even the European countries that opposed the American decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime know well that an Iraq in the hands of the worst terrorists and criminals goes against the interests of all," wrote Mr Parsi.


The Vatican's new stance will hearten Mr Blair and President Bush, whose campaign for re-election has been overshadowed by the crisis. Senator John Kerry, his Democratic opponent, has repeatedly criticised the president for failing to garner sufficient international support for the invasion of Iraq.

[url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/10/10/wirq10.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/10/10/ixportal.html"]Telegraph UK Link[/url]

[heyyoimjohnny]

*clapclapclap* I couldn't agree with Cardinal Sodano more. The war has been made; maybe it shouldn't have been made, but it has, and now an evil tyrant has been taken out of power. Now there are people who need us. And we have to do what we can for them.


Just goes to show ya yet again that God can take anything and make it good.

[toledo_jesus]

I like the child analogy...a little bit unexpected from a cardinal but gets the point across. Is this posted in the other forums???? It needs to be. Show it to Everyone.

[musturde]

another reason to vote for Bush. He got us into it, he probably can best get us outa it.

[toledo_jesus]

How long before they trot out "the Pope isn't infallible" to excuse this one?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='toledo_jesus' date='Oct 11 2004, 08:23 PM'] How long before they trot out "the Pope isn't infallible" to excuse this one? [/quote]
Yeah, that would be the ultimate flip-flop, wouldn't it?

[toledo_jesus]

wait for it...it's coming.

[smeagol]

an excellent article. it proves that if we look towards the end of the tunnel instead of looking backwards, we can see a light there.

i really liked the analogy with the child that has been (illegitimately) born. The type of woman who has illegitimate children is not usually the best mother. so it's not just a given who will raise this child. we must make that choice. and we must choose wisely, if we actually care about this child's welfare...

[Iacobus]

And it isn't.

The Vatican saying that we need to fix the problem that was created by the war is not saying the war is just or unjust, but that it made a mess and we are obliged to clean it up.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Iacobus' date='Oct 11 2004, 08:57 PM'] And it isn't.

The Vatican saying that we need to fix the problem that was created by the war is not saying the war is just or unjust, but that it made a mess and we are obliged to clean it up. [/quote]
I agree with Jacob, for once...

The article does not say that the Vatican approves of the war, it only recognizes the mess made and that we need to fix it. On that we may all agree.

[Craftygrl06]

bumpity bump

[popestpiusx]

[quote name='toledo_jesus' date='Oct 11 2004, 08:23 PM'] How long before they trot out "the Pope isn't infallible" to excuse this one? [/quote]
While it would certainly be a true assessment of this statement, the same must also be said of the Pope's assessment of the war itself.

[toledo_jesus]

my point is that most Catholics for Kerry make the war their sticking point...so now that the Vatican has said somebody needs to take care of it (and who better than the people who have been taking care of it) that diminishes the rationale further. So I'm wondering when they will start in with the whole "well it's just the opinion of the pope" thing...which they already used in their favor when the Pope expressed opposition to the need for war.

[smeagol]

if an engineer designs a bridge that collapses, do you want that same engineer to repair and rebuild the bridge?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='smeagol' date='Oct 12 2004, 05:26 PM'] if an engineer designs a bridge that collapses, do you want that same engineer to repair and rebuild the bridge? [/quote]
If that engineer knows best exactly why it collapsed and has proven his mettle in other circumstances, yes.