Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams

LONDON , December 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – It is Christmas Day, and in the U.K. , the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is continuing his censure of politicians over the possibility of going to war on Iraq .

In his Christmas message Williams uses the analogy of the Three Wise Men to satirize strategists who, in spite of their apparent sophistication, end up killing innocent people and cause suffering, BBC’s online news service reported Wednesday, December 25.

Williams’ message, to be broadcast shortly after midnight Thursday, December 26, on BBC’s Radio 4, recalls the bible story of the Three Wise Men.

On their way to Bethlehem , they tell King Herod of the birth of Jesus, and thereby prompt a massacre of children.

The Archbishop, who has actively opposed war against Iraq , says it is indicative that even the wise and resourceful cannot help making the gravest mistakes of all, the BBC reported.

Dr Williams compares the Wise Men to strategists who, despite intimate knowledge of politics, miss “obvious things and create more suffering and havoc.”

Everyone is still tangled in the same net, despite better technology, communications, intelligence and surveillance, but nevertheless, stepping deeper into tragedy.

His remarks came as Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales , stressed that war against Iraq must not be seen as inevitable, the BBC said.

Celebrating Midnight Mass at Westminster Cathedral, the Cardinal said that everyone had a “permanent commitment” to peace on earth and that efforts to avoid conflict should never end.

During his Christmas service, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor told worshippers: “We must never give up and assume that war is inevitable.

The Pope was expected to deliver a more political message later Wednesday

“Let us pray today, therefore, that each one of us, particularly those involved in international diplomacy and politics, will maintain our permanent commitment to building and maintaining peace in our world.”

His remarks followed calls by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales in November for both sides to “step back from the brink” of war.

They said that Britain had a moral responsibility to avoid war and called for the lifting of sanctions against Iraq as an incentive for the Iraqi regime to improve, the BBC reported.

Iraqi Children Appeal to Blair

Meanwhile, on Christmas Eve, seven Iraqi children delivered giant Christmas cards signed by thousands of people to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, urging him not to go to war against their homeland.

Delivering the cards to Blair on behalf of the Stop the War Coalition, the seven Iraqi children were joined by a brother and sister from Egypt and a Palestinian boy.

The cards contained thousands of messages and signatures of British people opposed to the government’s backing of U.S. President George W. Bush’s firm stance against Iraq , the BBC reported.

The campaign group argued that Britain and the U.S. are more interested in Iraq ’s oil reserves than they are in its alleged weapons of mass destruction.

According to the BBC, spokesman Andrew Burgin said: “People are talking about war so blithely at the moment, as if there is no human cost.”

Standing on the doorstep of Number 10, Egyptian-born Fatima Mahmoud, 17-years-old, from London , warned: “A lot of very innocent children, the same age as those here, will die.”

Tired Pope Calls For Peace

Meanwhile, in the Vatican , a visibly tired Pope John Paul II made a plea for peace in his traditional Christmas midnight mass Wednesday, urging assembled pilgrims to reflect on the Christian message of hope and mercy, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Stooping, and coughing from time to time during his homily, the frail 82-year-old pontiff prayed for the leaders of nations and international organizations to strive for peace, especially in the “tormented land of the Middle East .”

Devoting his address to peace and to all those who suffered from conflicts, the pope told his listeners that the birth of Jesus was a sign from God.

“It is a sign of hope for the whole human family; a sign of peace for those suffering from conflicts of every kind; a sign of freedom for the poor and oppressed.”

The largely-spiritually-themed sermon avoided reference to particular conflicts and focused instead on the birth of Jesus Christ.

The ailing pontiff was expected to deliver a more overtly political message in his “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) address later on Wednesday to pilgrims gathered in the Vatican, in the western center of Rome.

That message was thought likely to include concern about the threat of war on Iraq and renewed calls for peace in the Middle East .

In his message last year, the pope appealed for Jews, Muslims and Christians to work together for peace.