Pope urges end to Peruvian violence

VIOLENCE IN PERU must be replaced by respect for the rights of others, Pope John Paul II said in accepting the credentials of Ugo de Zela Hurtado, new Peruvian ambassador to the Holy See.
The Church does "everything in its power to favour the perfecting and defence of human dignity," he said.
Pope John Paul plans to visit Peru during a January 26-February 6 trip which includes scheduled stops in Venezuela, Ecuador and Trinidad and Tobago.
For the past several years Peru has faced increasing violence as a Maoist guerrilla group, Shining Path, has stepped up armed attacks on rural towns and bombings in the capital of Lima.
The guerrilla attacks have been matched by increased counterinsurgency operations by Peruvian security forces.
The Pope did not mention the guerrilla fighting in his talk. But he expressed hope that "true social love and respect for the rights of others grow, so that, rejecting the temptation to recourse to violence, citizens find in the postulates of justice and in dialogue, the instruments for peacefully living together."
The Pope said he hoped his visit to Peru would stimulate greater Church efforts to promote the spiritual, economic and material development of the people.