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Skriven 2006-11-30 01:02:48 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                               VIS-Press releases

RELIGIONS MUST REFUSE TO SANCTION RECOURSE TO VIOLENCE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 28, 2006 (VIS) - At 5.30 p.m. today, at the apostolic
nunciature in Ankara, the Holy Father met with the diplomatic corps accredited
to the Turkish government.

In his address to them he highlighted how he had come "as a friend and as an
apostle of dialogue and peace," adding that "true peace needs justice, to
correct the economic imbalances and political disturbances which always give
rise to tension and threaten every society."

In order to prevent conflict, the Holy Father continued, it is not enough to
respect and support "the decisions of international institutions." There must
be "authentic dialogue, ... in order to arrive at lasting and acceptable
political solutions, respectful of persons and peoples. I am thinking most
especially of the disturbing conflict in the Middle East, which shows no sign
of abating and weighs heavily on the whole of international life; I am thinking
of the risk of peripheral conflicts multiplying and terrorist actions
spreading. I appreciate the efforts of numerous countries currently engaged in
rebuilding peace in Lebanon, Turkey among them."

"I appeal once more to the vigilance of the international community, that it
not abandon its responsibilities, but make every effort to promote dialogue
among all parties involved, which alone can guarantee respect for others, while
safeguarding legitimate interests and rejecting recourse to violence."

Pope Benedict then highlighted how "the Turkish Constitution recognizes every
citizen's right to freedom of worship and freedom of conscience. The civil
authorities of every democratic country are duty bound to guarantee the
effective freedom of all believers and to permit them to organize freely the
life of their religious communities. Naturally it is my hope that believers,
whichever religious community they belong to, will continue to benefit from
these rights, since I am certain that religious liberty is a fundamental
expression of human liberty and that the active presence of religions in
society is a source of progress and enrichment for all. This assumes, of
course, that religions do not seek to exercise direct political power, as that
is not their province, and it also assumes that they utterly refuse to sanction
recourse to violence as a legitimate expression of religion.

"In this regard," he added, "I appreciate the work of the Catholic community in
Turkey, small in number but deeply committed to contributing all it can to the
country's development, notably by educating the young, and by building peace
and harmony among all citizens."

The Pope again stressed the need for dialogue which, he said, "must enable
different religions to come to know one another better and to respect one
another, in order to work for the fulfillment of man's noblest aspirations, in
search of God and in search of happiness."

He reiterated his "great esteem for Muslims," and he encouraged them "to
continue to work together, in mutual respect, to promote the dignity of every
human being and the growth of a society where personal freedom and care for
others provide peace and serenity for all."

"Assuredly, recognition of the positive role of religions within the fabric of
society can and must impel us to explore more deeply their knowledge of man and
to respect his dignity, by placing him at the center of political, economic,
cultural and social activity. Our world must come to realize that all people
are linked by profound solidarity with one another, and they must be encouraged
to assert their historical and cultural differences not for the sake of
confrontation, but in order to foster mutual respect."

The Church, he said, is committed "to serve the cause of humanity," and he
added: "I would be failing in this fundamental obligation if I did not remind
you of the need always to place human dignity at the very heart of our
concerns. The world is experiencing an extraordinary development of science and
technology, with almost immediate consequences for medicine, agriculture and
food production, but also for the communication of knowledge; this process must
not lack direction or a human point of reference, when it relates to birth,
education, manner of life or work, of old age, or death.

"I sincerely hope," he concluded, "that the good relations between nations,
which it is your task to serve, may also contribute increasingly to the genuine
growth of humanity, created in the image of God. Such a noble goal requires the
contribution of all. For this reason the Catholic Church intends to renew its
co-operation with the Orthodox Church and I hope that my forthcoming meeting
with Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Fanar will effectively serve this
objective."
PV-TURKEY/DIPLOMATIC CORPS/ANKARA VIS 061129 (780)

SUMMARY

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