Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.
July 18, 2008

Pope Urges Religious Community to Unite Against Violence 
---------------------------------------------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1D4BDF0:A6F02AD83191E16056424C6FA48601FF7F0EB4B66EA3A89D&
 
Pontiff promotes resolving conflicts through peaceful means, with regard
for human dignity 
Pope Benedict XVI greets pilgrims during stations of the cross outside
St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, 18 Jul 2008Pope Benedict XVI
is urging all the world's religions to unite against what he calls
"sinister and indiscriminate" violence.The pontiff made the call Friday
in Sydney, Australia before a group of interfaith leaders on the
sidelines of the World Youth Day festival. Benedict says the unified
voice of the religious community can convince the rest of the world to
resolve conflicts through peaceful means, and with "full regard for
human dignity."After the interfaith meeting, the pope offered a prayer
to open the Stations of the Cross, a dramatic re-enactment of the last
days of Jesus Christ.More than 100,000 pilgrims have gathered in
Australia from around the world for World Youth Day. The six-day event,
which began Tuesday, aims to rejuvenate the Catholic church and has been
held in different host cities every two or three years since 1986.During
his a!
 ddress today, Benedict also warned the worldwide Christian community
was at a "critical juncture," a reference to the potential schism in the
Anglican church over the ordination of women and gays.Bishops in the
worldwide Anglican community are meeting in the British city of
Canterbury for the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference. 

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


.