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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Terrorism is an evil that must be defeated, but when one country decides to wage the battle alone, it weakens the international organizations formed to avoid war and promote peace, Pope John Paul II said.
War is not the answer to terrorism, the pope said May 15 in a message to the new Vatican ambassador from Syria, one of 12 ambassadors he welcomed at the Vatican in a joint ceremony.
"The blind unleashing of terrorist violence, seen on Sept. 11, 2001, led all leaders to an attentive examination of the state of the world and to a new awareness of the fragility of balance," the pope said.
"War, which prevailed once again, can never be considered a means for resolving conflict," he said.
Because terrorism is unacceptable, the pope said, the Vatican constantly urged international cooperation to stop the phenomenon.
International organizations like the United Nations are needed to prevent "unilateral action which risks leading to an impoverishment of international law and to weakening the pact existing among nations," he said.
The largest possible consensus is necessary in determining the best ways to fight terrorism, he said, otherwise actions run the risk of creating "a spirit of vengeance" and unleashing new violence.
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