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Skriven 2006-02-22 07:30:20 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

PEACE REQUIRES RESPECT FOR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 20, 2006 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI
received the Letters of Credence of Ali Achour, the new ambassador of Morocco
to the Holy See. After expressing his thanks for the greetings of the king of
Morocco, Mohammed VI, conveyed by the diplomat, the Pope reiterated his esteem
"for the tradition of welcome and understanding which has, for many centuries,
characterized relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Catholic
Church."

The Holy Father recalled that Morocco has just celebrated the 50th anniversary
of its independence, praising its express intent to move towards "a modern,
democratic and prosperous future." The achievements of these years "must enable
Moroccans to live in security and dignity, so that they can actively
participate in the social and political life of the country."

The Pope then went on to refer to the "ever-closer collaboration between
countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea, ... which is called more than
ever before to be a place of encounter and dialogue between peoples and
cultures." He also focussed on some of the serious problems faced by these
countries, such as "the phenomenon of migration," which "constitutes an
important factor in relations between States."

"In ever greater numbers, emigrants from less favored regions call at the gates
of Europe in search of better living conditions," said the Pope. Therefore, it
is necessary "that institutions in the countries of destination and transit, do
not consider these people as a mere commodity or labor force, and that they
respect their fundamental rights and their dignity."

"The precarious situation of so many foreigners must favor solidarity between
the countries involved, so as to contribute to the development of the
emigrants' places of origin. In fact, these problems cannot be solved only by
national policies. Only ever-greater collaboration between all the nations
concerned will favor the search for solutions to these painful problems."

Benedict XVI then referred to Morocco's contribution to "the consolidation of
dialogue between civilizations, cultures and religions," recalling that "in the
current international context, the Catholic Church is convinced that, in order
to support peace and understanding among peoples, ... there is an urgent need
for religions and their symbols to be respected, and for believers not to be
exposed to provocations that wound ... their religious feelings."

"Nonetheless," the Holy Father added, "intolerance and violence can never be
justified as a response to offence, because they are incompatible with the
sacred principles of religion. For this reason, we can only lament the actions
of those who deliberately profit from the offence caused to religious
sentiments in order to foment violence, because their aims are foreign to
religion."

The Pope concluded his address to the diplomat by recalling that for believers
and for people of good will, the only road that leads to peace and fraternity
is that of "respect for the religious practices and convictions of others," so
that "in all societies, everyone may be assured of the opportunity to practice
the religion they have freely chosen."
CD/LETTERS OF CREDENCE/MOROCCO:ACHOUR VIS 060220 (520)

SUMMARY

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