Holy See insists on rights of integrity for Lebanese, Israeli right to peace, and Palestinian right to sovereignty
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Vatican City, Jul 20, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- In today's statement spurring Catholics to pray for peace in the region, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the rights of Lebanese, Israelis, and Palestinians in the Holy Land.

The Pope said that the people of Lebanon, who are currently suffering attacks from Israel in Israel’s attempt to root out Islamic militants Hezbollah, “have the right to see the integrity and sovereignty of their country respected.”

That is not to say that the Holy Father does not understand the plight of Israelis who are fighting to stop terrorist attacks from Hezbollah and Palestinian assailants and to gain the return of Israeli soldiers who are being held by Hezbollah and fellow Islamic group Hamas.  The Israelis have, the Pope said, “the right to live in peace in their State.”

However, the Pope also affirmed Palestinians in their struggle for a land of their own saying, “Palestinians have the right to have their own free and sovereign homeland.”

Lebanese are hoping the Vatican can play a greater role in resolving the current conflicts in the Holy Land and Lebanon.  The Associated Press has reported today that Saad Hariri, son of assassinated Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri and leader of the anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon’s parliament, met with Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano yesterday in the Vatican.  Hariri is reported to have asked for the Holy See’s assistance in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The more than one-third of the population of Lebanon is Catholic.

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Subscriber comments:
Published by: Robert Koop
Middletown, Ohio, USA 07/21/2006 08:46 AM EST
I pray for peace in the Middle East ... but ... this note seems to further obfuscate two already confounded issues. The Israelis are fighting two terrorist organizations on two fronts, Hezzbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palistinian areas like Gaza. Both groups are constitutionally driven to exterminate all Jews and eliminate the sovreign country of Israel, both are Islamic facist military organizations.

The Palestinians elected the terrorist Hamas group into power, therefore the people and the terrorist are one in the same.

The government of Lebanon is too weak (both in power and will) to remove Hezbollah from their southern border stronghold facing Israel. Therefore they are expo facto complicit with the terrorists. At this juncture the Lebanese government and people have a moral choice to make ... either support the effort to root out the terrorist or support them and be destroyed with them.

While minimizing collateral damage is a moral imperative, it is the terrorist who are implanting themselves in mosques, in neighborhoods, and behind women and children.

These radical Islamic murderers are encouraged to lie in order to further their cause so negotiation is not possible. Just look at the negotiated settlements in the past and the land concessions already made. Their goal is not about the land it is about the extermination of a nation of people.

Periodically good people must stand and fight evil in this world.

"Periodically" is now here!
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