Pope appeals for dialogue to end Tibet violence

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, on a diplomatic tightrope over the Vatican's tense relations with China, broke his silence on Tibet on Wednesday by calling for dialogue to end the "suffering" of the people there.

"Violence does not solve problems, but only aggravates them," he said at the end of his weekly general audience, adding that he was following events in Tibet "with trepidation".

It was his first public mention of the unrest in Tibet since the violence began there last week and followed calls by some Italian intellectuals for him to break his silence.

"We ask almighty God, source of light, to enlighten the minds of all and to give each one the courage to choose the path of dialogue and tolerance," he said.

The Tibetan government-in-exile says 99 people died when Chinese security forces moved to quell rioting last week. The government in Beijing puts the death toll at 13.

"My heart as a father feels sadness and pain when I see the suffering of so many people," he said, without mentioning China.

Benedict has made improving relations with Beijing a major goal of his pontificate and issued a 55-page open letter in June saying he sought to restore full diplomatic ties with Beijing that were severed two years after the 1949 Communist takeover.

Catholics in China are split between those who belong to a state-backed Church and an underground Church whose members are loyal to the Vatican.