IN BRIEF

CARDINAL JEAN-LOUIS TAURAN, LIBRARAN and Archivist of Holy Roman Church, delivered the homily at a solemn Mass in St. Stephen's Cathedral In Vienna, Austria on September 17 on the occasion of the 48th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference. In that homily, published today, the cardinal told the representatives and members of the specialized agencies of the United Nations Organization in Vienna, that they "have a special vocation - namely, to proclaim that peace is possible! ... As Christians and by vocation we witness to peace by condemning all types of violence; by disavowing the ideologies that sustain it and the political systems that promote it; by eliminating violence from all walks of life. Violence is the imposition of one's own judgment, not tempering one's own right with charity. Violence is the exclusion of the weakest and the least gifted, as well as the promotion of a vindictive spirit. ... In the merciless world we have constructed, Christians are called to exercise what I dare to call 'the power of the heart'. ... In this enormous task, Christians can count on the help of believers of other religions. More than ever, especially in today's international context, it is extremely urgent to give witness, through concrete gestures, that the great religions are factors of and for peace, and not war."

MSGR. LEO BOCCARDI, RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE AT THE 48TH IAEA General Conference, which took place in Vienna September 20 to 24, addressed the assembly on September 22. In his address in English, published today, the Holy See representative said "the acts of violence recently perpetrated in Russia and in other parts of the world gravely offend all humanity. The continued violations of human dignity and the innocent victims of terrorism draw the attention of all to the need to face the causes which underlie such a modern form of barbarism and to deal with them effectively. We must also continue to believe in dialogue as essential to establishing peace and security." He underscored the "continued threats to peace and stability due to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," or WMD. He also noted the warnings that nuclear proliferation is on the rise, that there are countries interested in the illicit acquisition of WMD and the "risk that terrorists will gain access to such materials and technology." Highlighting the rising insecurity in the Middle East, especially in the Holy Land and Iraq, he stressed the need to promote "the peaceful applications of nuclear technologies" as they "can make a significant contribution to responding to the most urgent concerns" such as managing drinking water supplies, crops, fighting malnutrition, treating disease and giving a greater salt tolerance in arid climates.
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