Pope calls in meeting with Iranian for "courageous action" against terror

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2004

VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope John Paul II criticized countries that seek to use force in place of negotiation and which fail to support multilateral agreements on international concerns such as environmental protection.

As the new Iranian ambassador to the Holy See, Mohammad Javad Faridzadeh, presented his credentials, the pontiff urged "courageous action" against terrorism.

The pope said that achieving international order, and defending against terrorism required states to support "stable, efficient and recognized" international bodies such as the United Nations.

He added that the Holy See would spare no effort to persuade state rulers "to renounce the use of violence or force in every case, and always to rely on negotiation as the means of overcoming the...