Pope tells President Bush situation in Iraq must be "Normalized" by Agence France Presse / The Scotsman 10:29am 5th Jun, 2004   June 4, 2004    VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II admonished US President George W. Bush over Iraq, telling him the situation in the occupied country should be "normalized as quickly as possible" with the help of the international community and the United Nations.    The pope, who told Bush his visit to Europe comes at a time of "great concern" over unrest in the Middle East, also implicitly condemned the recently revealed abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers in Iraq.    "In the past few weeks other deplorable events have come to light which have troubled the civil and religious conscience of all, and made more difficult a serene and resolute commitment to shared human values," the head of the Roman Catholic Church said.    In the absence of such a commitment, "neither war nor terrorism will ever be overcome," warned John Paul II. Despite a warm greeting at the Vatican for Bush and his large entourage, Friday's meeting did little to blunt the sharp differences between the White House and the Holy See over Iraq. John Paul II has been one of the staunchest critics of Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq.    "It is the evident desire of everyone that this situation now be normalized as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and in particular, the United Nations Organisation, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraq's sovereignty, in conditions of security for all its people," the 84-year-old said in a haltingly-read statement.    In another allusion to differences over Iraq, the pope said that a "fuller and deeper understanding" between Europe and the United States "would surely play a decisive role" in resolving the problems he had mentioned...
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