Papal praise goes too far

2005-04-04 12:52

Nairobi - A leading Kenyan daily on Monday eulogised the late Pope John Paul II as a fierce foe of armed conflict, especially the war in Iraq, but raised eyebrows by rewriting history to laud his opposition to Britain's "invasion" of the Maldives islands.

In an apparent computer-generated spelling error, the Standard newspaper mistakenly praised the pontiff for opposing a non-existent British war with the Maldives instead of his criticism of Britain's 1982 conflict with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

"He may have failed to stop the Iraqi war, but he spoke out against it and candidly told President George W Bush and British premier Tony Blair, the architects of the invasion and occupation, of his opposition to their action," the paper said.

"The Pope also opposed Britain's invasion of the Maldives," the Standard then asserted.

In Argentina, the barren and remote Falklands are known as the Malvinas, a name that may be close in spelling to the Maldives but quite distinct from the low-lying Indian Ocean vacation hotspot.

"Invasion?" asked an incredulous diplomat from the British embassy in Nairobi when told of the editorial. "Maybe at holiday time. It's obviously a mistake."

It was not immediately clear if the British High Commission would seek clarification in the matter or whether the newspaper would correct the error.

- AFP