Pope John Paul II referred to the Easter Sunday shooting on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as a “rash gesture” that has had repercussions in other parts of the Middle East. The Pontiff included that statement in an address last week to a crowd of 40,000 in St. Peter’s Square who he called on to pray for the “situations of conflict” in the world.
In earlier messages, the Pope made reference to the current aggravated conflict between “the two peoples” in “the Holy Land.” He also spoke of the tension between Britain and Argentina and the war between Iraq and Iran.
With respect to the April II incident in Jerusalem where on American-bom Israeli gunman opened fire on Moslem worshippers in the Dome of the Rock Mosque, killing two and wounding 30, the Pope observed that “… Reasons for anxiety for the painful perturbations which are taking place in the Holy Land and particularly in Jerusalem, in Trans-Jordan and in Gaza are mounting following the rash gesture” on the Temple Mount “causing innocent victims and giving rise to other sorrowful facts.”
He added: “Let us pray so that these and other clouds of concern which are thickening upon the land of Jesus and in the Middle East region dissipate and the commitment to understanding and reconciliation may prevail in the consideration of all interested parties.”
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