The Sunday Times – The Pope has used his inaugural new year message to launch a veiled attack on Iran’s hardline leadership.
Pope Benedict’s comments follow calls by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel to be “wiped off” the global map and his recent dismissal of the Holocaust.
The Pope said: “Authorities who incite their citizens to hostility to other countries bear a heavy responsibility and make the future of humanity more uncertain and anonymous.”
The message, issued by the Vatican yesterday, pointed to “signs of hope” and highlighted “a decrease in the number of armed conflicts” around the world.
However, the Pope condemned the growth in arms expenditure and, in another apparent swipe at Iran, mocked governments who relied on, or aspired to obtaining, a nuclear arsenal.
“In nuclear war there will be no victors, only victims,” he said.
“The truth of peace requires that all — whether those governments which openly or secretly possess nuclear arms or those planning to acquire them — agree to change by clear and firm decisions and strive for a progressive and concerted nuclear disarmament.”
