World IN BRIEF : ARGENTINA : Bishops Apologize for Civil War Crimes

Urged by Pope John Paul II to examine their consciences, Argentina’s Roman Catholic bishops begged forgiveness for any crimes committed by Catholic Church members during the country’s “dirty war.” “We implore God’s forgiveness for the crimes committed then, especially by sons of the church, whether as members of the revolutionary guerrillas or as members of the state or the security forces,” members of the National Bishops Conference said in a statement. The 15-page document was issued in response to the pope’s instructions to bishops worldwide to examine their consciences in preparation for 2000, when the church enters its third millennium. Guerrilla action and social unrest led the military in 1976 to overthrow the constitutional government of Isabel Peron and wage their “dirty war” against dissidents.