ABC AUSTRALIA, 02/05/2004 13:12:30
Pope appeals for peace in eastern Indonesia
Pope John Paul the Second has appealed for an end to clashes between Muslims
and Christians that have left at least 37 dead in eastern Indonesia.
In a telegram addressed to the Roman Catholic bishop of the city Ambon, teh Pontiff
said he was praying for the re-establishment of public order and the renewal of
peaceful relations between the different religious groups.
Fighting has raged for a week in Ambon, the Maluku provincial capital.
A banned parade by Christian separatists on April 25th sparked off the bloodshed, the
worst of its kind since a February 2002 pact ended three years of religious battles in
which some five-thousand people died.
© 2004 Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
