Syrians air grievances before Pope

QUNEITRA (SYRIA), MAY 7. Pope John Paul II offered a prayer for peace and forgiveness on Monday in the rubble of a town Syrians say was destroyed by Israel, as the papal visit became an opportunity for Arabs to tell the world about their bitterness.

Applause broke out as the Pope entered a Greek Orthodox church that was, like the rest of Quneitra, in ruins. The Syrian Government and many international observers say Israeli forces sacked the city before handing it back to Syria in 1974. Israel, which still holds most of the rest of the Golan, says Quneitra was damaged in fighting.

Several children approached the Pope inside the church to be kissed and blessed. Then aides helped the ailing, 80-year- old Pope kneel on a wooden stand erected on the broken stone floor.

After a few moments of silent prayer, the Pope raised his head and, speaking into microphones, prayed aloud.

``We pray to you for the peoples of the Middle East. Help them to break down walls of hostility and division and to build together a world of justice and solidarity. May all believers find the courage to forgive one another so that the wounds of the past may be healed and not be a pretext for further suffering in the present,'' he added.

Vatican officials said that in his prepared text, the Pope mentioned ``the sad news of conflict and even death'' from the latest Israeli-Palestinian clashes.

After his prayer, the pontiff emerged from the church to water a small olive tree - a symbol of peace. After a short tour of the battered town, he returned to Damascus.

Syria refuses to rebuild Quneitra or let most of its residents return, saying it should stand as a monument to Israeli ``crimes'' until the entire Golan, seized by Israel in the 1967 war, is back in Syrian hands. Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations have stalled.

The Syrian Government bused in thousands of former Quneitra residents for the day on Monday, putting them before the cameras and reporters from around the world who have recorded the Pope's four-day trip to Syria.

Quneitra was once home to about 50,000 people. Now only a few families live here - some making a living providing food and other services for U.N. peace-keepers who patrol the frontier dividing the Golan. A U.N. contingent stood under its blue flag outside the church during the Pope's prayer.

A banner in English and Arabic strung over the rubble of one Quneitra home read: ``Our house was in this place. The Israelis demolished the house and the garden with all its flowers and trees is still thirsty.'' ``Quneitra had four mosques and three churches,'' read another banner. ``The calls from the minarets and the tolling of the church bells are no longer heard and the worshippers were driven out.''

Vatican and Syrian flags fluttered and dust swirled in a brisk wind. Israeli radar installations were visible just a few kilometers away, across the coils of barbed wire marking the cease-fire line.

``The Pope is very important. When he says something, a lot of people listen,'' said Bishop Saba Esber of the Greek Orthodox Church of the region that includes Quneitra. He was among a contingent of Syrian clergy in Quneitra to greet the Pope.

The pontiff has called during his Syrian trip for peace and mutual understanding in the region. He has persisted despite Arab bitterness reflected in the comments of the Syrian President, Mr. Bashar Assad, who likened Israelis to betrayers of Jesus.

The West Asian political passions and religious drama stirred up by the Pope's visit to Syria often have seemed to obscure what he has stressed is the reason for his pilgrimage.

At least briefly on Monday, the focus was on St. Paul the Apostle, the first century Christian martyr. The Pope paid his respects on Monday at a Damascus shrine to St. Paul before starting the one-hour drive to Quneitra.

- AP

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Biggs back home with no regrets
Next     : Russia to take more tourists to space