I love this Pope, but there are times when I wish he wouldn't be so confounded conciliatory.
September 24, 2001
Pope, in Central Asia, Speaks Out Against Any Overzealous Military Response by the U.S.
By MELINDA HENNEBERGER
STANA, Kazakhstan, Sept. 23 — At an outdoor Mass attended mostly by Muslims, Pope John Paul II spoke out today against an overzealous military response to terrorist attacks on the United States and said a religious war was a contradiction in terms.
In remarks that seemed to speak to both the United States and Islamic militants, he said that "we must not let what has happened lead to a deepening of divisions" between Muslims and Christians, adding, "Religion must never be used as a reason for conflict."
Though obviously under great physical strain, the 81-year-old pope, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was forceful in his remarks to the crowd in Motherland Square here, which ended, "With all my heart, I beg God to keep the world in peace."
After reading President Bush's speech to Congress on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks several times, the pope decided on Saturday night that he had to speak out more directly on the international situation and to say something beyond the text already prepared for his homily at today's Mass, said his spokesman, Joaquín Navarro-Valls.
"Yesterday in the plane, we exchanged views," Dr. Navarro-Valls said of the discussion of Mr. Bush's speech. "Last night, he said he would say something more, and he wrote it."
Dr. Navarro-Valls suggested that the pope believed that the extremists directly responsible for the attacks on the United States could and should be distinguished from the wider threat of Islamic fundamentalism and that any response should be limited to punishing the guilty.
The pope's spokesman chose not to answer questions about what the pope thought of Mr. Bush's speech. Instead, Dr. Navarro-Valls said that "he's concerned and asking for more information on the topic of refugees in the whole area."
At a time when Central Asia is expecting the United States to strike nearby Afghanistan, the pope insisted on coming here this week, in part to highlight Kazakhstan's recent record of religious tolerance. This multiethnic country has large numbers of Muslims and Orthodox Christians and a smaller population of Roman Catholics.
"Certainly there is a risk, and everyone sees it," Dr. Navarro-Valls said. "It's clear there are fears in Kazakhstan about the situation."
But he added: "The pope is here to stress that the present situation cannot be interpreted as a conflict between Islam and Christians or between Islam and the Western world. This would be dangerous and does not reflect reality. The pope is trying to stress that Muslims and Christians can live together, work together and pray together — as is happening now in Kazakhstan."
The pope, who opposed the war in the Persian Gulf when Mr. Bush's father was president, said today, "I wish to make an earnest call to everyone, Christians and the followers of other religions, that we work together to build a world without violence, a world that loves life and grows in justice and solidarity."
Pressed to define what justice the pope thinks should come to terrorists, Dr. Navarro-Valls demurred, saying, "Justice is justice." Asked if that meant the pope felt that they should be held accountable, he said, "Yes — those who are guilty of these acts."
Both Muslims and Christians in the crowd of 25,000 — about three- quarters Muslim, according to official estimates — said there was no real tension here between different brands of believers in this former Soviet republic, all of whom suffered under Stalin and throughout the Soviet era.
They have been through a lot together. A Roman Catholic nun from Slovakia, Sister Magdalena Sumilasova, who is a missionary here, said, "I've heard people who were deported here in Stalinist times say the Kazakh people helped us, gave us bread and a roof, and kept us from dying of hunger."
Even she, who is actively pursuing converts, said tensions between religious groups remained relatively low. "Some Orthodox priests have a positive attitude toward us, and some consider us a sect — but the people don't see a big difference," she said. Her church also has good relations with local Muslim groups, she said.
Because of tight security for the Mass today, the square here was surrounded by multiple rings of soldiers. Those entering the square had to walk through a metal detector, and their bags were searched.
The pope offered the Mass, which lasted more than two hours, at an altar under a turquoise tent in the shape of a yurt, the traditional Kazakh house.
John Paul was barely able to raise his hand high enough to wave at the crowd, or to turn his head to greet those who were cheering as he passed. Yet somehow, his infirmity seemed only to underscore the strength of his resolve.
And people here of all faiths, and none, said they were moved and frankly amazed that he had come.
One young woman with no religious affiliation said she had traveled 20 hours by bus to see him. Irena Sokoloyskya, a 17-year-old Roman Catholic convert from an Orthodox family, said: "It's a very important thing for our community and our country. Religious people must be only for peace."
A Ukrainian Catholic woman whose parents were deported here in 1936 said she never thought that she would see the day when she could pray in the open, let alone in the town square with the pope himself.
"It's the joy of our lives to the see the Holy Father," said Nina Snezhko, 58, near tears. "Now I can die in peace."
"When I was young," she said, "my prayer had to be a big secret. It was dangerous to be a Catholic or to be a religious person. But we have our own church now, and it is wonderful." The Ukrainian Catholics follow an Eastern rite liturgy but are loyal to the pope. In her parish in Taincha, she said, Muslim friends are invited to their holiday events and vice versa.
The number of Catholics here is shrinking, though. About 200,000 of the half million Roman Catholics who lived here have gone back to Poland, Germany or Ukraine since Kazakhstan became independent in 1991.
An Orthodox girl in the crowd said her priest had warned her that the pope's visit was for Roman Catholics only, reflecting the Russian Orthodox view that the pope is poaching on their territory here.
"But she has many friends here," one of the girl's Roman Catholic friends said, referring to other Orthodox at the Mass. "They don't agree with their priest."
Some Muslims in the crowd said the pope transcends differences between faiths, and one mentioned approvingly that he was the first pope to visit a mosque.
Tuleghen Tansyupaeyer, a 35- year-old Muslim, said that he, a little like the pope, had come here partly in response to the international situation. "What happened in America is a disaster for everyone — Muslims, Christians," he said.
Later in the day, the pope met with President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and crowed a little that he had managed to make the trip. "In recent days, some said it was not possible because of the tragic events in the United States," John Paul said. "But you can see that it is possible, thank God."
Mr. Nazarbayev said he had been "deeply touched" by the Pope's remarks at the Mass. "I am on your side when you speak of the civilization of love and trust among faiths," he said. But he also told the pope that Kazakhstan was prepared to join a coalition to pursue terrorists. "No country, no matter how big, can fight terrorism on its own," he said.
Tonight, the pope met with a crowd of wildly cheering university students at a concert of traditional Kazakh music. One by one, the student musicians came forward to hug him at the end.
When the students clapped for the pope, he clapped for them in return, with considerable effort. As he left, they chanted, "Do svidanya" — "till we meet again" in Russian — and he answered: "Do svidanya. We'll see each other in Rome."
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