VATICAN CITY, April 20: Pope John Paul used his Easter Sunday message to call for peace in Iraq and in the world’s forgotten conflicts which he said threatened “a tragic clash between cultures and religions”.

The pontiff, addressing more than 50,000 pilgrims in a rain-dampened St Peter’s square and millions watching on television, referred in particular to his “profound grief” at the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land.

The violence and bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians showed “no sign of ceasing,” he said.

“Let there be an end to the chain of hatred and terrorism, which threatens the ordinary development of the human family. May God grant that we be free from the peril of a tragic clash between cultures and religions.”

John Paul II was reiterating a key Vatican fear that the US-led war on Iraq would be exploited by extremists who would see it as a clash of civilizations, between West and East, between Christians and Muslims.

The pope’s message coincided with the day when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, three days after his crucifixion on Good Friday.

“If Christ did not rise from the dead, not only would our faith be in vain, but our hope would also be vain, for we would all still be held hostage by evil and death,” the pope proclaimed in his address, which was followed by his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing in 62 languages.

The pontiff appeared tired but in relatively good form after presiding at lengthy holy week ceremonies during which, for the first time, he remained seated throughout. Parkinson’s disease and severe arthritis have left him almost immobile and he now moves about in public with the aid of a wheelchair.

John Paul II, known to have been deeply pained by the US-led war in Iraq, once again showed his concern for Iraq’s people, pleading that with international community’s help they will become “the protagonists of the collective rebuilding of their country.”

The pontiff, who will be 83 next month, led a tireless diplomatic campaign in a vain bid to head off the conflict, sending envoys to US President George W. Bush in Washington and to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.

He also granted audiences to key politicians including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz.—AFP