Pope Aims to Foster Peace During Syria Trip

Vatican-State Aide Visits Islamic Country

DAMASCUS, Syria, APR. 1, 2001 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II's bid to foster Mideast peace will be "one of the strong points" of his meeting in Syria with President Bashar Assad, says a Vatican aide.

Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations with states, was in Damascus to prepare the Holy Father's visit, which will take place from May 5-8. The Bishop of Rome will be on pilgrimage, retracing the footsteps of St. Paul.

"The Pope will probably refer to [the peace process]," the archbishop explained Saturday. "It will be one of the strong points of the discussion. I think the Holy Father will talk about the regional situation, which means that Lebanon might be included in the agenda of topics to be discussed; it depends on how the interviews are scheduled."

Archbishop Tauran made the above statements, after meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk al-Chare, to discuss "the regional situation in the context of the Pope's visit."

Archbishop Tauran said that he was not "in the know" about Maronite Patriarch Nasrala Sfeir's possible trip to Syria during John Paul II's visit. The patriarch is the leader of the principal Christian Church in Lebanon, and has called for an end to Syrian military presence in Lebanon.

Zenit - The World Seen From Rome
1. april 2001