Vatican peace envoy Cardinal Pio Laghi dies

Cardinal Pio Laghi, the Vatican peace envoy dispatched by Pope John Paul II to Washington in 2003 in an effort to avert the US-led invasion of Iraq, died yesterday, an assistant said. He was 85. He died of a blood-related illness that he had been...

Cardinal Pio Laghi, the Vatican peace envoy dispatched by Pope John Paul II to Washington in 2003 in an effort to avert the US-led invasion of Iraq, died yesterday, an assistant said. He was 85.

He died of a blood-related illness that he had been suffering from for some time, the assistant said. His funeral will be held tomorrow.

A seasoned diplomat, Cardinal Laghi served in the Vatican diplomatic service in Jerusalem, Latin America and the United States. He became a cardinal in 1991.

A personal friend of US President George W. Bush's family, Cardinal Laghi met him at the White House just before war broke out and handed over a personal letter from the Pope urging him to avoid war and seek a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi crisis.

He was also sent to Jerusalem in 2001 to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to broker a ceasefire in their conflict.

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