AFP - Pope John Paul II's comments in his visit to Armenia should be interpreted as a call on the United States "not to give in to the temptation to use unjustified force," Vatican radio said in a press statement.
On his arrival in Armenia on Tuesday, the pontiff called on the "strongest" to be "magnanimous," a reference, according to the Holy See's official radio station, to the threat of US attacks on Afghanistan.
The pope's comments had initially been interpreted as a reference to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but Radio Vatican chief Father Pasquale Borgomeo said they were directed at Washington.
"Peace can only be built on the basis of mutual respect, fair relations between communities and magnanimity on the part of the strongest," the pontiff had said on Tuesday.
Borgomeo said the pope meant that states should have the "moral strength to pursue legitimate objectives clearly and prudently, without giving in to the temptation to resort to unjustified force."
Radio Vatican's interpretation of the pope's remarks contradicted earlier comments by papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls, who was quoted as saying a nation's right to self-defence included using force.
A member of the papal entourage has since qualified the spokesman's comments as being "his personal opinion."
Washington has hinted at military action against Afghanistan in response to the terrorist attacks earlier this month in New York and Washington which claimed more than 6,000 lives.
Afghanistan is believed to be still harbouring radical Islamic leader Osama bin Laden, who, it is alleged, has links to the terrorists who carried out the September 11 attacks on the United States.