Vatican, May. 06, 2004 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican's former chief foreign-policy official has joined the criticism of American treatment of Iraqi war prisoners. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran told the Italian daily La Stampa warned that the international outrage provoked by photos of abuse would make it more difficult to build a lasting peace in the Middle East.

"When human dignity is trampled in this way, barriers are set up," the cardinal said. The shocking photos, he said, would have "a terrible impact on people-- not just among Arabs, but worldwide." The release of the photos, he said, has created a "very grave" new problem for peacekeeping efforts.

Cardinal Tauran-- who was the Secretary for Relations with States assuming his current position as Vatican archivist-- told La Stampa : "There is a way of making war that respects the law." The physical and psychological mistreatment of captives at the Abu Gharib prison showed a contempt for international law. Cardinal Tauran made it clear that the abuses were at odds with the general American conduct during the war in Iraq. "Normally the American army does not act this way," he said; "but what we have seen is deplorable." He added that President Bush had been 'very clear" in condemning the abuses.

The official Vatican newspaper made a similar point. L'Osservatore Romano commented that while the abuse of prisoners had roused "the indignation of the world," that indignation was probably greatest in the United States. The American people, L'Osservatore said, would feel "most wounded" by the revelations of conduct that was "incompatible with the standards of a great democracy."

In his interview with La Stampa , Cardinal Tauran was asked to comment more broadly on the situation in Iraq. He replied htat "the Pope war right" to oppose US military action there. He explained that "the preventive war has not eliminated terrorism-- as we can see quite clearly today."