POPE TALKS ON PEACE IN BALKANS, THE BATTLE OF MONTECASSINO

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 1999 (VIS) - During remarks to English-speaking visitors following the summary in their language of today's general audience catechesis, the Pope greeted the NATO Defense College, saying he was "always pleased to do so, ... recognizing your Organization's role in the service of peace.

"Today, unfortunately," he added, "the Balkans are without peace and we are daily witnesses of the great suffering of so many of our brothers and sisters. I urge you to keep clearly before your eyes the need for everyone to work to ensure that dialogue and negotiation will succeed in bringing an end to violence in the area."

Thereafter in Polish, he addressed a group of his compatriots, who had come from the Polish diaspora as well as from Poland itself, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the "memorable battle of Montecassino," where the Allies, including a group from Poland, had combatted German forces.

John Paul II indicated that "the battle of Montecassino remains permanently etched in the history of Poland and Europe. It demonstrated how great is the value of love for the motherland and the desire to regain independence lost."

"In offering their lives and paying the price in blood, our countrymen laid the roots of a new Europe, one faithful to Christian tradition, aware of its spiritual roots and more united. They also laid the foundations of a new Poland. May the recollection of this battle endure incessantly, both for today's generations and those of the future. For us, this battle represents a great challenge in the formation of social life in the new reality."

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