Bush Meets Pope, Who Voices His Displeasure Over Iraq
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

Published: June 5, 2004

ROME, June 4 - With President Bush at his side, Pope John Paul II on Friday reiterated his unhappiness over the invasion of Iraq and urged the president to speed the restoration of sovereignty to the Iraqi people.

Speaking haltingly in front of reporters and a television camera after a 15-minute private meeting with Mr. Bush at the Vatican, the pope mixed praise for the United States with a diplomatically worded but unmistakable expression of displeasure with the war and its aftermath.

The pope welcomed the establishment of an interim Iraqi government, but said it was "a moment of great concern" for the Middle East and called on the United States to work quickly toward a new United Nations resolution.

"It is the evident desire of everyone that this situation now be normalized as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations organization, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraq's sovereignty, in conditions of security for all its people," the pope said.

He went on to suggest that the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by the United States had undermined the broader battle against terrorism.

"In the past few weeks, other deplorable events have come to light which have troubled the civic and religious conscience of all, and made difficult a serene and resolute commitment to shared human values," the pope said, referring to the reports of abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. "In the absence of such a commitment, neither war nor terrorism will ever be overcome."

Thousands of demonstrators marched through Rome on Friday