Pope Benedict Appeals For Peace In Myanmar, Reconciliation In Korea

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VATICAN – Pope Benedict Appeals For Peace In Myanmar, Reconciliation In Korea

By Gerard O’Connell, Special Correspondent in Rome

VATICAN CITY (UCAN) — Pope Benedict XVI has expressed spiritual closeness and solidarity with the people of Myanmar and invited people worldwide to pray for a peaceful solution to the crisis there.

Pope Benedict also urged prayers to support reconciliation efforts in Korea.

The pontiff made these appeals shortly after midday on Sept. 30 after reciting the Angelus with hundreds of pilgrims from many countries at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence outside Rome.

Concerning the dramatic situation in Myanmar, the pope said, “I follow with great trepidation the most serious events of these days in Myanmar, and I desire to express my spiritual closeness to that dear population in this moment of painful trial which it is going through.”

“While I assure my solidarity and intense prayer, I invite the whole Church to do likewise, and I keenly hope that a peaceful solution be found for the good of the country,” he said.

Vatican sources say the pope closely followed the past week’s developments as Myanmar’s military violently suppressed peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks in Yangon, the country’s largest city. He was aware that several Buddhist monasteries had been violated and sealed off, and Internet access was blocked across the country.

According to some diplomatic sources cited by media, security forces killed about 200 protesters, beat or wounded many others, and imprisoned around 850 monks and democracy leaders.

The pope’s remarks came two days after leaders of Myanmar’s 4 million Christians, including 600,000 Catholics, sent an appeal on Sept. 28 to General Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, the military junta that rules the country. Their message expresses “great worry and special concern for the current situation and commotion happening in the country.”

The Christian leaders’ letter, signed by Archbishop Charles Bo, general secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar, and Archbishop Samuel Mahn, president of the Myanmar Council of Churches, implores the head of the military government “to handle this case with the paternal love and with peaceful solution in order that there will be stability, peace and non-violence, which are also the desire of the people.”

Also on Sept. 28, Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, Philippines, secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, sent a letter of solidarity to the Myanmar bishops.

After inviting prayers for a peaceful solution in Myanmar, Pope Benedict spoke about recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula and his wish to encourage the process. He said, “I also recommend to your prayers the situation in the Korean peninsula, where some important developments in the dialogue between the two Koreas give hope that the efforts for reconciliation that are underway may be consolidated in favor of the Korean people and to the benefit of the stability and peace of the entire region.”

Both governments of that divided peninsula simultaneously announced on Aug. 8 that South Korea’s President Roh Moo-hyun would meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il Aug. 28-30 in Pyongyang. However, the summit was postponed until Oct. 2-4 due to serious flood damage in the North during August.

According to media, Roh is now expected to walk across the heavily fortified inter-Korean border on Oct. 2. His predecessor, Kim Dae-Jung, flew to the North for the first inter-Korean summit in June 2000, also in Pyongyang.

During the upcoming summit, local media say, the North and South Korean leaders will meet four-to-six times and discuss how to improve relations to achieve national unity and the country’s reunification.

The Korean peninsula has been divided since World War II ended in 1945, and deep scars remain from the 1950-53 Korean War.

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