Bishop decries bombing of church, warns against partition of Libya

June 06, 2011

The apostolic vicar of Tripoli is warning that the partition of Libya would “create breeding ground for terrorist acts.”

Following extensive damage to a Coptic Orthodox church during a NATO bombing raid, Bishop Giovanni Martinelli said that “we are united to deplore the incident, but especially to pray, so violence calms down. We all ask ourselves a question: why is this happening? We were astonished by the failure of international diplomacy and, perhaps, by its prejudice that makes dialogue impossible with the leadership of Tripoli.”

“NATO has renewed the military operation in Libya for another three months without regard to any possibility of dialogue, as called for by the UN and the Holy Father,” he added.

 

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Further information:

• "Do not divide Libya, we risk creating a breeding ground for terrorism," warns the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli (Fides)
• Bishop of Tripoli decries NATO bombing attacks, cites civilian casualties (CWN, 6/3)