VATICAN CITY, March 1: Pope John Paul will send a senior cardinal to Washington with a letter for President George Bush in a personal peace mission to try to avert an invasion of Iraq, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Cardinal Pio Laghi, a former ambassador to the United States and a personal friend of the Bush family, will leave in the next few days. “The cardinal...will illustrate the position and the initiatives taken by the Holy See to contribute to disarmament and peace in the Middle East,” the Vatican said in a statement.

Showing an energy that belies his 82 years, the Pope has become increasingly involved in diplomatic efforts to prevent a second Gulf war, which he has said would be a “defeat for humanity”.

In the past month he has received a stream of foreign leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.—Reuters