Pope denounces violence, hatred, prays for peace in Gaza
Posted: 01 January 2009 2328 hrs

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VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday said he hoped "violence, hatred and mistrust" would not prevail in the world in 2009, notably in the Middle East, and condemned an "unacceptable" arms race.

"Violence, hatred and mistrust are themselves forms of poverty - perhaps the greatest - that must be fought," the pope said during a mass marking the Roman Catholic Church's traditional January 1 World Day of Peace, on the theme of fighting poverty and building peace.

Wearing white vestments and a gold mitre, the pope said: "The deep desire to live in peace ... rises in the hearts of the great majority of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, once more placed in danger by the massive violence that has broken out in the Gaza Strip in response to other violence."

"May this not prevail," urged the pope, who may travel to the region in May, during the mass in St Peter's Basilica.

Benedict had on Sunday denounced the violence in the Middle East, calling on the international community to help both sides abandon "this dead-end road".

The death toll from Israel's blitz on Hamas in Gaza rose to 400 on Thursday, the sixth day of its biggest military operation against the Palestinian territory in decades. Hamas also fired rockets into Israel as international efforts to secure a truce foundered.

The Vatican has yet to confirm that the pope will visit Israel and the occupied territories, as well as Jordan, reportedly set for May 8-15.

Last month a spokesman for Israeli President Shimon Peres said a Vatican delegation had come to Israel to discuss preparations for a possible visit.

The 81-year-old German pope Thursday also recalled his annual message for World Peace Day issued three weeks ago, in which he lambasted the global financial industry for creating an economic crisis with short-term thinking.

Benedict warned that a number of low-income countries are marginalised from the world market and accused rich states of holding poor countries hostage over fatal diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, which he said were a common cause of poverty.

And he condemned an "unacceptable" arms race at a time when the world is marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Later on Thursday, Benedict, sporting a short red velvet cape with ermine trim, prayed the Angelus from a window in his Apostolic Palace apartment overlooking St Peter's Square, where thousands huddled under umbrellas in a light rain.

Returning to the global financial crisis, the pope, who is marking the fourth New Year's Day as pontiff, warned against quick fixes, saying "it's not enough, as Jesus said, to sew new patches on old clothes."

The crisis should be seen "as a serious symptom that needs to be addressed at its root causes," he said, adding: "Putting the poor first means moving decisively to the global solidarity" advocated by Benedict's predecessor John Paul II.

"My first goal (of the year) is to urge all, governments and simple citizens, not to be discouraged in the face of difficulties and failures, but to renew their commitment," he said.

Benedict offered "the contribution of the Catholic Church to the promotion of a world order worthy of human kind." - AFP/de