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MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Papal Satements on the GulfWar
Afteranuary. Johnxpressed regrets and unease about die war as often as severaleek. He was especially critical of air attacks that be said "indiscrimlnaiely threaten civiliannebruary, Vatican radio quoted the Pope as saying. 'We are not pacificists ai any cost. We desire peace and justice. There can be no peace without
Some Church leaders went further than thepokesman for the Conference of Italian Bishops stated oaanuarybe Pope's position isust or unjust, the war [must] be stopped" l'observaiore romano, tbe semi-official Vatican newspaper,onsistently pacifist line, and Catholic organizations marched conspicuously in antiwar demonstrations. I
The Church's criticism of the warajor challenge to Andreotti's five-party government. H
^TneCommunists. now renamed the Democratic Party of the Left, lost no time in exploiting the peace issue and seized on the papal statements in an attempt to gain influence with Catholic pacifists.
Andreotti resisted the antiwar nxrveineni with support of bis Foreign and Defense Ministers. He almost certainly viewed Rome's military contribution and financial assistance to the frontline states as pan of Italy's coming of age as an important Westernffaf^pBf|pBjinnwar sentiment, though worrisome, ism
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Original document.
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