Responding to the widening military conflict, Pope Benedict XVI has
prayed for a “horizon of peace and harmony” to arise in Libya.
He also
assured the people of Libya of his “heartfelt closeness.”
“The disturbing news coming from Libya has awakened in me fear and
trepidation,” Pope Benedict told the faithful in St. Peter’s Square
after the traditional Sunday Angelus prayers.
He reported that he had
made a “special prayer” about the state of affairs in Libya during his
Lenten spiritual exercises last week.
The pontiff called on those in positions of military and political
responsibility to have at heart the safety and security of citizens and
to ensure access to humanitarian aid.
“I pray for those involved in the dramatic situation in that country,” the Pope said.
The Libyan government, headed by Col. Moammar Ghadafi, has responded
with severity to protests and rebel groups which began to oppose him
openly on Feb. 17.
NGOs such as the New York City-based Human Rights Watch charged that
Libyan government forces have fired upon unarmed civilians, have made
arbitrary arrests and have caused the disappearances of “scores of
people” since the protests began.
In the rebel capital of Benghazi 95 people were killed and an unknown
number injured in a March 19 assault by government forces, CNN reports.
The United States, the United Kingdom and France began to enforce a
United Nations-approved no-fly zone on March 19.
The allied nations’
fighter jets, bombers and missiles have hit Libyan military positions in
what is being called “Operation Odyssey Dawn.”
Libyan officials said the allied military action left at least 48 people dead.
The Libyan military called for an immediate cease-fire on Sunday.