02/26/2006, 00.00
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Pope: God will call to account those who spill "brother's blood" in "his name"

There was strong condemnation from Benedict XVI for the violence which destroyed churches and mosques in Iraq and Nigeria. The pope's plea was that Lent will be a time of prayer to stop conflicts and violence in the world.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Benedict XVI has strongly condemned recent violence against churches and mosques in Iraq and Nigeria. In his encounter with pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus, after the Marian prayer, the pope mentioned the destruction of the golden dome in Samarra and violence in several areas across Iraq, characterized by mutual vendetta between Sunnis and Shi'ites. He branded such actions as moves which "sow mourning, feed hatred and seriously obstacle the already difficult work of reconstruction in the country". The pontiff also condemned the destruction of churches and mosques in Nigeria, where Christians and Muslims have been clashing for some days now.

"I express firm condemnation for the violence in places of worship, I entrust all the dead and those who mourn them to the Lord," said Benedict XVI. With harsh words for those who foment inter-religious hatred and for those who use the name of God to kill human beings, the pope added: "The fruits of faith in God are not devastating antagonism, but a spirit of brotherhood and collaboration for the common good. God, Creator and Father of all, will call to account even more severely those who spill their brother's blood in his name."

Benedict XVI invited all to "more intense prayer and penitence, in the sacred time of Lent, so that the Lord may distance the threat of similar conflicts from those dear Nations, and from many other places on earth!"

Preparation for Lent was the theme of the meditation before the Angelus. Referring to the gospel passage of the Mass – which is about Christian fasting "when the bridegroom is taken away" (cf. Mk 2:18-20) – the pope said that Christ is "the Bridegroom of Israel, who has come for the wedding of his people. Those who recognize and welcome him with faith are feasting. However, he must be rejected and killed by his own: in that moment, during his passion and his death, the hour for mourning and fasting will come". The time for Lent, he added, "is a great memorial of the passion of the Lord, in preparation for the Easter of Resurrection. During this period we are made to abstain from singing the Alleluia and we are invited to practice appropriate forms of penitential renunciation. The time of Lent should not be faced with the 'old' spirit, almost as if it were a heavy and bothersome duty, but with the new spirit of he who has found the meaning of life in Jesus and his paschal mystery, which makes one aware that He now has a bearing on everything."

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