Pope urges end to deaths of innocents in Lebanon

ROME, Aug 2: Pope Benedict today called for a lasting political solution between Israel and Hizbollah to stop more ''spilling of innocent blood'' in Lebanon, after Israeli bombs killed 37 children in the village of Qana this weekend.

''Our eyes are full of the horrifying images of the mangled bodies of so many people, especially children, and I am thinking in particular of Qana in Lebanon,'' the Pope said at his weekly audience, adding that he had a ''heart full of sorrow''.

The Pope has used all recent addresses to urge an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, which Israel has bombarded for nearly three weeks to try to force Hizbollah to free two abducted soldiers and to stop its cross-border raids.

''I wish to repeat that nothing can justify the spilling of innocent blood, for any reason,'' said the Pope, renewing his ''urgent call for the immediate cessation of all hostilities''.

''I call on the international community and everyone involved more directly in this tragedy to secure the conditions as soon as possible for a definitive political solution to the crisis, to ensure a calmer and safer future for generations to come.''

REUTERS