Pope Ambiguous on U.S. Campaign

Pope John Paul II declared Tuesday that nations have a moral and legal right to defend themselves against terrorism but must refrain from targeting the countries, ethnic groups or religions to which terrorists belong.

The Roman Catholic leader, in his most extensive statement on the subject, called terrorism “a true crime against humanity” and said nothing can justify the kind of “horrendous massacre” that occurred in the United States on Sept. 11.

Vatican officials declined to interpret the pontiff’s words as either an endorsement or a criticism of the U.S.-led military campaign to capture Osama bin Laden and destroy the Taliban regime that harbored him in Afghanistan.

John Paul made his remarks in writing as part of his annual message for the church’s upcoming World Day of Peace. The message is sent to heads of state and international organizations.

In it, the pope employed the same ambiguity as in his previous pronouncements on the conflict, expressing anguish about a “new level of violence introduced by organized terrorism” without judging the specific steps taken to combat it so far. Ultimately, he said, forgiveness of evildoers is the only lasting solution.

“The pope sees the situation through the eyes of afflicted populations . . . not [those] of any government,” Msgr. Frank Dewane, an official of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told reporters at the Vatican.

The pope’s statement was issued exactly three months after hijackers slammed jetliners into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field--attacks that the 81-year-old pope said had stirred “the depths of my heart” like the evils caused by Nazi and Communist rulers in his native Poland.

Without a clear papal signal, Vatican officials and U.S. Catholic bishops have voiced specific but limited approval for the 2-month-old American bombing and ground war in Afghanistan, applying the church’s centuries-old “just war” doctrine to justify attacks that target aggressors but not innocent civilians.

John Paul’s remarks Tuesday echoed some principles of that doctrine without using the word “war” or even mentioning the events in Afghanistan.

“There exists a right to defend oneself against terrorism, a right which, as always, must be exercised with respect for moral and legal limits in the choice of ends and means,” the pope wrote.

“The guilty must be correctly identified, since criminal culpability is always personal and cannot be extended to the nation, ethnic group or religion to which the terrorists may belong,” he added.

John Paul wrote that terrorism is “born in hatred,” flourishes in poverty, isolation and fanaticism, and leads to a “tragic spiral of violence that involves each new generation.” Nations must work together, he said, to alleviate such conditions.

But, he emphasized, “the injustice that exists in the world can never be used as an excuse to justify terrorist attacks. Terrorism’s pretext that it acts in the name of the poor is patently false.”

The pope was equally sharp in condemning terrorism in the name of religion.

“You shall not kill in God’s name!” he declared.

Vatican officials say the pope is fearful that the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath could upset one of his dearest projects--the promotion of understanding among religions. He has invited representatives of the world’s religions to come to Assisi, Italy, on Jan. 24 for a daylong prayer for peace.

John Paul has also asked Catholics to set aside this Friday for fasting and prayers for justice and an end to armed conflicts. The day roughly coincides with the end of Ramadan, the monthlong Muslim holiday of fasting and purification.

In an audience Tuesday with Eastern Rite Catholics from Iraq, the pope promised to pray Friday for an end to international sanctions against their country, saying the measures punish most of the population.