From ........... Associated Press

November 3, 1994

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Muslim, Shinto and Jewish prayers filled the halls of the Holy See on Thursday as 900 delegates gathered at a multi-religion peace conference.

At the opening session of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, Pope John Paul II urged delegates from 70 countries to struggle against the use of religion in war.

He did not mention any particular conflict. But clearly in his mind was Algeria, where Islamic extremists battling the military-installed government have been responsible for scores of deaths over the past year.

He recalled his remarks Oct. 26, three days after gunmen killed two Spanish nuns in Algeria, that "No one can consider himself faithful to the great and merciful God who in the name of the same God dares to kill his brother."

The pope also appeared to touch on the war in the former Yugoslavia by denouncing so-called "ethnic cleansing."

The delegates -- Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Jews and others --move Friday to the resort coast of Lake Garda in northern Italy for seven days of discussions. After the opening session, a Muslim leader denounced Islamic extremist violence.

"Islam forbids the recourse to violence with religious roots," said Ahmed Muhammad Ali, secretary-general of the World Islamic League. "It can happen that there are violent Muslims. These however are not true followers of Islam."

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