Even when faced with a potential terrorist attack or in the midst of war, basic human rights must be respected, Pope Benedict XVI said in his message for World Peace Day 2007.

"Peace is based on respect for the rights of all," the pope said in his message for the Jan. 1 commemoration.

The message, "The Human Person, the Heart of Peace," was sent to heads of state around the world and was released Dec. 12 at a Vatican press conference.

The pope's message included prayers for peace in war-torn countries, such as Lebanon; special concern for child victims of violence; a condemnation of continued nuclear proliferation; and concern over the potential for violent conflicts over energy resources.

The basis of any hope for peace, the pope said, is a recognition that each human person is created in the image and likeness of God and, therefore, endowed with a dignity and with rights that cannot be usurped by anyone.

Most countries around the world have adopted the tenets of international humanitarian law, recognizing that it applies in situations of conflict as well as in peacetime, he said.

"Unfortunately, to say nothing of past cases, this has not been consistently implemented in certain recent situations of war," he said.

Specifically citing the July war in Lebanon between Hezbollah militias and Israel, Pope Benedict said the duty to protect, assist and avoid involving the civilian population "was largely ignored."

"The heart-rending situation in Lebanon and the new shape of conflicts, especially since the terrorist threat unleashed completely new forms of violence, demand that the international community reaffirm international humanitarian law and apply it to all present-day situations of armed conflict," the pope said.

While recognizing the difficulties posed by the threat of terrorism, Pope Benedict said countries must conduct "a profound reflection on the ethical limits restricting the use of modern methods of guaranteeing internal security."

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told reporters at the Vatican Dec. 12 that the global fight against terrorism can be seen as "the Fourth World War. The Cold War was the third."

He continued, "But this war does not have the parameters of the wars we experienced in history. This must push countries to ask, 'What should we do?' and to develop regulations" that will provide security while guaranteeing respect for human rights.

In his message, Pope Benedict also called for "a vision of the person untainted by ideological and cultural prejudices or by political and economic interests which can instill hatred and violence."

And he urged members of religious communities and their leaders to renew their commitment to dialogue and to denouncing "conceptions of God that would encourage intolerance and recourse to violence against others."

"War in God's name is never acceptable," the pope said.

Throughout the document, Pope Benedict called for a universal recognition that basic human rights are God-given or natural; when an individual or a society decides it can determine who will enjoy which rights, both human dignity and peace are threatened, he said.

"As far as the right to life is concerned, we must denounce its widespread violation in our society," the pope said.

"Alongside the victims of armed conflicts, terrorism and the different forms of violence, there are the silent deaths caused by hunger, abortion, experimentation on human embryos and euthanasia. How can we fail to see in all this an attack on peace?"

The pope also condemned as a violation of human dignity, and a threat to peace, situations in which individuals are not free to practice their religious faith, either because a national regime imposes one religion on its residents or because a "systematic cultural denigration of religious beliefs" encourages people to hide their faith or limits their ability to express religious beliefs in public.

In addition, he said, violations of "the natural equality of all persons" also threaten peace.

Obviously, he said, the fact that so many of the world's people have no access to the essentials needed for life, including food, water, shelter and health "lies at the root of violent reactions and thus inflicts a terrible wound on peace."

But also, the pope said, "inadequate consideration for the condition of women helps to create instability in the fabric of society," especially when women are exploited or "where women are still firmly subordinated to the arbitrary decisions of men with grave consequences for their personal dignity and for the exercise of their fundamental freedoms."

"There can be no illusion of a secure peace until these forms of discrimination are also overcome, since they injure the personal dignity impressed by the creator upon every human being," Pope Benedict said.

---CNS