» 10/28/2011 12:31 VATICAN - ASSISI 2011 Pope: Assisi represents the millions of men who are committed to promoting peace and justice Benedict receives the delegations who participated in the Assisi Day. Meetings of this kind "are a clear expression of the fact that every day in the world, people of different religions live and work together in harmony."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The meeting held yesterday in Assisi is proof that people of different religions live and work "harmoniously together" in the world and that there are many men and women - even non-believers, but who search for truth – who are working for the good of the human family. This, in the words of Benedict XVI, is what yesterday’s Assisi Day, which brought leaders of most world religions, and a group of non-believers together in the city of St. Francis, reveals.
The Pope expressed these considerations this morning, as he received those who participated in the Day at the Vatican, to whom he wished to express his thanks. "In a certain sense – he said among other things - this gathering is representative of the billions of men and women throughout our world who are actively engaged in promoting justice and peace. It is also a sign of the friendship and fraternity which has flourished as the fruit of the efforts of so many pioneers in this kind of dialogue. "
The Pope thanked in particular "Christian brothers and sisters" and "representatives of the Jewish people, who are especially close to us."
" I am aware - he said - that many of you have come from afar and have undertaken a demanding journey. I express my gratitude also to those who represent people of good will who follow no religious tradition but are committed to the search for truth. They have been willing to share this pilgrimage with us as a sign of their desire to work together to build a better world"
"Looking back, we can appreciate the foresight of the late Pope John Paul II in convening the first Assisi meeting, and the continuing need for men and women of different religions to testify together that the journey of the spirit is always a journey of peace”.
"Meetings of this sort are necessarily exceptional and infrequent, yet they are a vivid expression of the fact that every day, throughout our world, people of different religious traditions live and work together in harmony. It is surely significant for the cause of peace that so many men and women, inspired by their deepest convictions, are committed to working for the good of the human family. In this way, I am sure that yesterday’s meeting has given us a sense of how genuine is our desire to contribute to the good of all our fellow human beings and how much we have to share with one another".
" As we go our separate ways, - he concluded let us draw strength from this experience and, wherever we may be, let us continue refreshed on the journey that leads to truth, the pilgrimage that leads to peace".
