Vatican City, Jul 2, 2006 / 22:00 pm
After praying the Angelus today with thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope spoke of the "growing concern" with which he was following events in Iraq and the Holy Land.
"Faced, on the one hand, with blind violence that provokes appalling massacres and, on the other, with the threat of a worsening of the crisis which over the last few days has become even more dramatic, what is needed is justice and a serious and credible commitment to peace, which unfortunately are nowhere to be seen.”
"For this reason," the Holy Father added, "I invite everyone to join in faithful and persistent prayer: may the Lord illuminate hearts and may no one evade their duty to construct peaceful coexistence, recognizing that all men are brothers, whatever the people to which they belong."