Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - Peace " is everyone's responsibility ," and if there is little peace in the world, in society , it is because there is no dialogue , " tenacious , patient , strong, intelligent dialogue, with nothing to loose". Religious leaders are called to promote dialogue and peace, because "a religious leader is always a man of peace, because peace is the commandment inscribed in the depths of religious traditions".
Promoting dialogue to promote peace : this is the warning that Pope Francis
launched today, in his address to the participants in the meeting promoted by
the Community of Sant'Egidio on the theme: "The courage to hope : Faiths
and Cultures in Dialogue" .
" Just this month - said the Pope - we feel that the world needs the
'spirit ' that has inspired " the historic meeting in Assisi in 1986 .
" Why, because we are in so much need of peace. No. We can never resign
ourselves to the pain of entire peoples, hostage of war , poverty ,
exploitation . We must not stand by helpless and indifferent before the tragedy
of children, families and elderly people who are affected by violence. We can
not allow terrorism to imprison the heart of a few violent people and to sow so
much death and pain. Let us all say out loud, without interruption, that there
can be no religious justification for violence; in whatever way it manifests
itself. As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out two years ago, on the 25th anniversary
of the Assisi meeting, all forms of religiously motivated violence must be
stamped out, and together we must make sure the world does not fall prey to
that violence that is contained in every project of civilization which is based
on a "no" to God".
"In the world, in society - he continued - there is little peace also
because there is no dialogue, it is hard to look beyond the narrow horizon of
one's own interests and be open to a true and sincere exchange. Peace - he said
- needs a dialogue that is tenacious, patient, strong and intelligent. Dialogue
can win over war. Thanks to dialogue people of different generations, who often
ignore each other, can live together; just as citizens from different ethnic
backgrounds and different beliefs can live together if there is dialogue.
Dialogue is the way of peace. Because dialogue encourages understanding,
harmony and peace. That's why dialogue must grow and spread among people of
every condition and conviction, like a network of peace that protects the world
and the most vulnerable".