EVEN THE POPE IS WORRIED

Race for energy sources threatens world peace: pope
December 12, 2006 (AFP via Yahoo News)
- Pope Benedict XVI issued a strong warning on the environmental impact of the global race for energy supplies, saying it was a threat to world peace…
- "How can we fail to see in all this an attack on peace?" Benedict XVI said…

- The Catholic church has consistently condemned what it perceives as attacks on the sanctity of individual human life, but the pope's statement linking the use of fossil fuels with world peace was his strongest on the subject…
"What injustices and conflicts will be provoked by the race of energy sources? And what will be the reaction of those who are excluded from this race?" the pope asked. "The destruction of the environment, its improper or selfish use, and the violent hoarding of the earth's resources cause grievance, conflicts and wars, precisely because they are the consequence of inhumane concept of development," he said…
- The pontiff also insisted on the importance of religious freedom as a critical factor for peace, pointing specifically to "some countries" in which Christians were persecuted.
He condemned what he called the transformation of religion "into an ideology," and said that "a war in the name of God is never acceptable."