Pope prays for peaceful ending of Egyptian unrest

Pope Benedict XVI prayed for a peaceful ending of the political unrest in Egypt, and the Vatican spokesman said he hoped the changes in the area would lead to greater religious freedom.

"In these days I am following closely the fragile situation of the dear Egyptian nation," the pope told pilgrims at his noon blessing at the Vatican Feb. 6.

"I ask God that this land, blessed by the attendance of the Holy Family, may find again tranquility and peaceful coexistence, in a shared commitment to the common good," the pope said.

It was Pope Benedict's first remark on nearly two weeks of protest demonstrations that have shaken President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30-year hold on power.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, reviewed the political turmoil in Egypt in a commentary Feb. 5 on Vatican Radio. He said it was not wrong to speak of a "revolution" in countries of North Africa and the Middle East, where extensive political opposition has emerged for the first time.

Father Lombardi said that along with economic causes of the unrest, many people of the region -- particularly young people -- want more freedom and a more responsive government. He noted that at the new Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, leaders of Christian minorities there made similar calls for religious freedom.

"Now there are whole populations that, in order to more fully realize their dignity, are asking to exercise more responsibly the right of citizenship that belongs to every person of whatever religion," the spokesman said.

"If these mostly Muslim nations succeed in the crucial undertaking of growth in dialogue, in the respect of the rights of everyone, in contribution and in freedom, then the world will be a safer place," Father Lombardi said.

WikiLeaks cable notes Vatican commitment to accord on climate change

The Vatican was committed to getting countries aligned with the Copenhagen Accord on the climate change, according to the first Vatican cable to appear on the WikiLeaks website.

The confidential cable claimed a Vatican official at the Secretariat of State would support U.S. government "efforts to have countries associate themselves with the Copenhagen Accord by the January 31 deadline" as well as "encourage other countries discreetly to associate themselves with the Accord as opportunities arise."

The cable, dated Jan. 21, 2010, came from the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican and was sent to the U.S. government's Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science.

It was one of more than 250,000 alleged diplomatic cables that WikiLeaks said it would be releasing over the coming months. Sources in Rome said 850 documents concern communications between the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican.

The cable, titled "'Green' pope supports US path forward from Copenhagen," was based in part on discussions an embassy official had with Paolo Conversi, a Vatican official at the Secretariat of State, and with U.S. Msgr. James Reinert of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

The one-page document made no mention of Pope Benedict XVI's Jan. 11 speech to diplomats in which he was critical of the lack of real commitment to mitigating climate change.

In a lengthy speech, he told ambassadors that have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, including U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Miguel Diaz, that he shared "the growing concern caused by economic and political resistance to combating the degradation of the environment."

for more news : wikileaks cable notes

Holy See-Related Activity In August

VATICAN CITY - Following is a chronological presentation of Holy See-related activities for the month of August:

- 2: The Holy See Press Office releases a communique concerning the coming into effect of the convention on the prohibition of cluster munitions.

- 3: Publication of a communique concerning the annual meeting of the management board of the "Populorum Progressio" Autonomous Foundation. the meeting was held in the Dominican Republic and Haiti from 20 to 23 July.

- 7: Declaration by Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. confirming that the Pope had made a private visit to certain localities in the Italian region of Abruzzo: the shrine of the "Madonna dei Bisognosi", Carsoli and Rocca di Mezzo.

- 27: Message for the end of Ramadan sent to Muslims by the president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, on the theme: "Christians and Muslims: Together in overcoming violence among followers of different religions".

- 31: Declaration by Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. announcing that the Pope held a series of conversations at Castelgandolfo from 26 to 31 July with the German journalist Peter Seewald. The contents of their talks will be published - in German and Italian - in a book to be released before the end of the year.