London, May. 12, 2004 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican's top
foreign-policy official fears that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Gharib
could have "tragic" consequences for relations between the West and
the world of Islam.
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with
States, spoke at length with the Italian daily La Repubblica. The archbishop,
who is currently in London for talks with government officials there, said that
the propaganda use of the prison scandal could be "a greater blow to the US
than September 11-- especially because this time it was done by Americans
themselves, not by terrorists."
Contempt for the West, which is already prevalent through the Arab world,
"will only grow, nourished by the media," because of the abuse, the
archbishop said. Propaganda attacks based on the damaging photos would be
effective, he observed, "even though intelligent people understand that
these sorts of actions are not acceptable in a democracy, and will be punished--
which was not the case under the old Iraqi regime."
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, meanwhile, express horror at the
by public decapitation of an American civilian, who was executed by an Islamic
group with ties to Al Qaida, supposedly in retaliation for the prison abuse.
L'Osservatore said that "when such ferocious acts are explained as a
response" to American mistreatment of prisoners, "the most disquieting
prospects are raised."
"There is a danger of more atrocities," the Vatican paper said. It
warned against "a logic of reprisal that is an expression of barbarism in
man, and can give rise to an endless spiral of hatred, with massacres looming as
more probable." Archbishop Lajolo cautioned that Christianity could be
caught up in this conflict, since "the Western world, built on Christian
principles, is often identified with Christianity" in the eyes of Islamic
militants. Questioned about the role of the United States in the Iraq today, the
archbishop said it is "inconceivable" that American forces would not
play an important role. But he proposed that the US should "collaborate
directly with the UN Security Council." The Vatican diplomat warned:
"No country today should think it can act on its own, as an independent
world power, today."
Citing the words of Abraham Lincoln, the archbishop remarked that "there
is nothing good about war, except the end." He argued that peacekeeping
forces in Iraq should be doing their best to restore security, and enable the
people of Iraq to form their own stable regime as soon as possible.