AFRICA: LIBYA: WOMEN CALL FOR PEACE- END TO WAR

AGENZIA FIDES REPORT: "At the end of the celebration of the Holy Mass, I found about ten Muslim Libyan women at the back of the church . This is the first time in 40 years of celebrations in Libya. They came crying into the sacristy. Many of them knew some Catholic nuns " said Archbishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, Vicar Apostolic of Tripoli to Fides.
"These women continually repeated, 'Father, please, stop with war, with bombs. They have destroyed our family, and social life, children no longer go to school. We are devastated”. Then they told me what is happening in Misurata ". They told me continues Bishop Martinelli-that women are raped and mutilated, families are trapped in homes. "You have no idea what is happening there”, said these women .
"I reported these facts to a workshop via phone organized by the European External Action Service where other people participated, some Libyans living in Europe and Egypt. There was some discussion as how to bring humanitarian aid to Libya after the end of the conflict. I repeated that we must first find a way to end the war”, says the Vicar Apostolic of Tripoli.
Archbishop Martinelli adds that "as we wrote in the document of the Christian communities in Libya (see Fides 13/04/2011), we should exploit tribal relations. Gheddafi has had the merit of having reunified the various libyan tribes . In our statement we suggest involving the "elders" (the wise men, the elderly) to find the path of dialogue between the different components of the libyan society”.
" A form of diplomacy that respects the reality of Libya is needed. In this sense, I appreciated the position of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, that re
jected, in the last meeting, the use of force and reaffirmed the need for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Libya). It seems very wise because it gives priority to diplomatic action on the use of force " concludes Bishop Martinelli.

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