VATICAN CITY Â4/6/2004 15:37 POPE TO BUSH: æREAT CONCERN FOR UNREST IN IRAQ AND HOLY LAND?/b> Church/Religious Affairs, Standard æt is the evident desire of everyone that this situation now be normalized as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations Organization, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraqæ sovereignty, in conditions of security for all its people,?John Paul II told the President of the United States, George W. Bush, in the Vatican this morning. æhe recent appointment of a Head of State in Iraq and the formation of an interim Iraqi government are an encouraging step towards the attainment of this goal,?he continued. æay a similar hope for peace also be rekindled in the Holy Land and lead to new negotiations, dictated by a sincere and determined commitment to dialogue, between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.?Earlier, the Pope had told Bush that his visit to Rome takes place æt a moment of great concern for the continuing situation of grave unrest in the Middle East, both in Iraq and in the Holy Land? John Paul II reiterated his firm æo?to war: æou are very familiar with the unequivocal position of the Holy See in this regard, expressed in numerous documents, through direct and indirect contacts? For the Pope the threat of international terrorism æemains a source of constant concern?that has æeriously affected normal and peaceful relations between States and peoples?since the tragic date of 11 September 2001, which the Pope has not hesitated to call "a dark day in the history of humanity". The Pontiff also underlined the æreat commitment?of the American government and of the numerous US humanitarian agencies, in particular the Catholic ones, æo overcoming the increasingly intolerable conditions in various African countries? tormented by fratricidal conflicts, pandemic illnesses and a degrading poverty. the Bush presented the Pope with the US Congressæ freedom medal, explaining that he had been awarded it for his work for peace and for the most vulnerable throughout the world. [LC]
