Shooting described as ‘disgusting, horrible’

Press, 15 May 1981, Page 4

Shooting described as ‘disgusting, horrible’

NZPA-Reuter New York Stunned world leaders expressed horror and outrage yesterday that Pope John ; Paul had been shot. < Worshippers knelt and lit capdles in thousands of > Catholic churches, and in the Pope’s grief-stricken hoijiev land they prayed for what one woman called “the burning heart of Poland radiating through the world.” The anguish was shared by people of many nations and .5 faiths. The West German Chancellor, Mr Helmut Schmidt, a .'Protestant, said he learned of .the shooting “with dismay and disgust.” f To Israel’s Prime Minister, vMr Menachem Begin, it was ■‘horrible, horrible news.” - The Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, a ;riindu, told a reporter she was “most shocked.” ? President Reagan, still recovering from an attempt on his own life on March 30, was informed of the shooting at the White House and was quoted as saying, “I’ll pray for him - The attempted assassination of the Pope would be greeted with shock and horror throughout the world, said the Prime Minister (Mr Mpldoon), according to a Press Association report from Wellington. “Pope John Paul II has brought to his office a strength and a concern for all the people? of the world that has made'him the focal point of hope for many millions of people, Catholic and rion-Catholic alike. “I have no doubt that the towering figure of? a Polish Pope has been in no small way responsible for the resurgence of Polish spirit in recent times. : “People of-all faiths will join in prayer? for his recovery and his continued leadership towards peace ■ and

harmony," the Prime Minister said. The Labour Party conference has sent a telegram to the Catholic Arch- bishop in Wellington,' conveying its “concern at the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.” It wished him a speedy recovery and long service to his church and the world. .Delegates stood in silence as a mark of respect for the Pope. For many, the attack on John Paul as he waved to the faithful in St Peter’s Square, was an ugly flashback to the still-fresh memories of Mr Reagan, waving outside the Washington hotel where he was shot. State television in the officially atheistic Soviet Union carried a brief factual account of the assassination attempt that included videotape of the scene in St Peter’s Square moments after the shots were fired. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kurt Waldheim, said in New York

the assassination attempt “ijlustrates the need for the world to rise up in indignation" against violence and terrorism. A spokesman for the Palestine Information Office in Washington said, “Pope John Paul is a man of peace. He spoke about justice for the Palestinian people. We pray for his safety and condemn this attempt on his life.” In capitals around the world, there was dismay: The Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Pierre Trudeau, expressed “shock and grief” and said in a message to the Vatican: “One must wonder whether our world has become so barbaric that it is incapable of respecting the lives of God’s own messengers of peace.” The Queen said, in a telegram to the Vatican sent minutes after the attack that she was “horrified and shocked.” The French Presidentelect, Mr Francois Mitterrand, expressed his “indiga-

' tion” and called the shooting “an act that strikes al! of humanity.” In Poland, State television interrupted its programme to report the shooting. Against the background of a portrait of the Pontiff, a television announcer read a brief report on the assassination attempt, adding that further details were not immediately available. . The Catholic Church in Poland expressed “deep shock” over the shooting of the Pontiff and said “the whole Church of Poland is praying for his speedy return to health.”

The outgoing French President, Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing, said in Paris he was “deeply moved and concerned.”

He said the attack was “scandalous’’.

“Really, whenever there is a great man in the West, someone feels himself obliged to shoot at him. It is scandalous.”