Naples (AsiaNews) – “The real ‘spirit of Assisi’, ….  opposes all forms of violence and the abuse of religion as a pretext for violence”.  The pope underlined this during his brief meeting with the representatives of the religions gathered in Naples for the World Meeting for peace, promoted by the St. Egidio Community.

Greeting delegates and representatives, ahead of his lunch together with Archdiocese of Capodimonte major seminary, Benedict XVI  recalled that John Paul II was the great protagonist of the “spirit of Assisi”, drawing the members of the various religions to the city of St. Francis in 1986 and again in 2002 to “pray for peace” and to “ask God to halt the grave threats which overshadow humanity, in particular those caused by terrorism”.

The pope dedicated the heart of his message to the plight of terrorism masquerading as a religious and social obligation: “Faced with a world torn apart by conflicts, where often violence is justified in God’s name, it is important to reaffirm that religions can never be used a vehicles of hate: never, by evoking God’s name can evil and violence be justified.  On the contrary religions can and must offer those precious resources needed to build a peaceful humanity, because they speak of peace to the hearts of man”.

“The Catholic Church  - he then added – intends to continue upon the road of dialogue to favour greater understanding between the different cultures, traditions and religious wisdoms.  It is my heartfelt hope that this spirit spreads above all there where tensions are keenly felt, there were freedom and mutual respect are denied, and where men and women suffer as a result of intolerance”.

Dozens of representatives of the world’s religions and Christian confessions are attending the International meeting for peace.