Pope: Message to Sant'Egidio meeting in Sarajevo (full text)
(Vatican Radio) Pope Benedict XVI has sent a Message through the Secretary
of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to the Archbishop of Vrhbosna-Sarajevo,
Cardinal Vinko Puljic, expressing his appreciation of and encouragement for the 26th
International Meeting for Peace, which brings together representatives of the world's
religions to foster understanging, reconciliation and coexistence in the "Spirit of
Assisi". Listen:
Organized
by the Community of Sant'Egidio, the meeting is underway this week in Sarajevo. Please
find the full text of the Message, below.
To
His Eminence Cardinal Vinko Puljic Archbishop of Vrhbosna-Sarajevo SARAJEVO
Castel
Gandolfo, 4th September 2012
Your Eminence, I am particularly glad to
convey the heartfelt greetings and appreciation of the Holy Father Benedict XVI to
the illustrious Representatives of the Christian Churches and Communities and of the
great world Religions, as well as to the people of Sarajevo, whom are particularly
dear to Him, and to all those who are gathered to celebrate the 26th International
Meeting for Peace organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio. It gives joy and comfort
to see that this pilgrimage of peace, started in Assisi in October 1986 by Blessed
John Paul II, continues to bear fruit. The Supreme Pontiff Himself wished to underline
its significance last year, 25 years since its beginning, going as a pilgrim to the
city of Saint Francis, together with many believers and men and women of good will,
who are engaged in a sincere search for truth and are therefore commited to building
peace. On that occasion, He observed how the cause of peace is today threatened by
a twofold danger: on the one side the exploitation of religion for violent ends, and
on the other the rejection of God in the name of a completely secularized vision of
man, which in turn is capable of producing boundless violence. The combined effects
of these two negative forces were experienced in tragic proportions, also in the city
of Sarajevo, during the war that started twenty years ago, waging death and destruction
in the Balcans. As an antidote to this recurrent threat, in Assisi Pope Benedict
XVI revived the covenant between people of religion and people engaged in a sincere
search for truth, though they do not feel they belong to any religious tradition,
convinced as He is that a profound and sincere dialogue may be, for the former an
engagement to the ever necessary purification of the religion they profess, and for
the latter a way to remain open to the major questions of humanity and to the Mystery
that enfolds the life of man. Therefore, the common pilgrimage towards truth may
turn into a shared pilgrimage towards peace. An expression of this are the International
Meetings for Peace promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio. And the meeting this
year in Sarajevo bears a special relevance. As the Blessed John Paul II, who felt
so profoundly bound to this city, once said: "It cannot be forgotten that Sarajevo
has become the symbol of the suffering of the whole of Europe. It was so at the beginning
of the 1900s, when the First World War had its beginning here; it was so in a different
way this second time, when the conflict took place entirely in this region of yours"
(Homily in Sarajevo, 13th April 1997). Today, from Sarajevo, a message of peace
shall rise, thanks to the meeting of many men and women of different religions. Peace
needs to be supported by hearts and minds that search for truth, opening up to God's
action, stretching out their hands to others. It is important, then, to widen our
vision to the whole world and to realities that are problematic in terms of living
together, reconciliation and peace, with hope and commitment: the threat of terrorism
persists in many parts of the world, many wars shed blood on the earth, violence against
one's brother seems to have no end. Our world truly needs peace! From our world a
cry rises, stronger and stronger: "May peace come!". The Holy Father's thought in
these days goes especially to the Middle East, to the tragic situation in Syria and
the Apostolic Journey he will soon carry out in Lebanon. His wish is that these lands,
and all lands that are in need of reconciliation and tranquillity, may soon find peace
in serene coexistence, in stability and in the respect of human rights. The long
experience of dialogue, developed also through these Meetings, shows how faulty the
culture of the clash is, while the value of dialogue is revealed, set on the solid
tracks of truth, which peace stems from: "This living together is in fact a precondition
that derives from our being human. And it is our duty to give it a positive content.
This living together can transform itself into living against one another, it can
become hell if we do not learn to accept one another, if everyone only wants to be
himself or herself. But it can also be a gift when we open up to one another, when
we give ourselves to one another" (Benedict XVI, Message to the International Meeting
for Peace of Munich, 1st September 2011). It is an awareness that must grow in the
consciences of men and women and peoples. "Living Together is the Future"! This
vision for us Christians is rooted in faith: "The God in whom we Christians believe
is the Creator and Father of all, and from him all people are brothers and sisters
and form one single family. For us the Cross of Christ is the sign of the God who
put “suffering-with” and “loving-with” in place of force" (Benedict XVI, Speech in
Assisi, 27th October 2011). While conveying His wishes of a fruitful meeting, the
Holy Father is united spiritually to all those who are present, in the certainty that
the Lord, Father of all men and women, will continue to guide us on the path of peace
and peaceful meeting among peoples, blessing our every effort. I join the wishes
of the Supreme Pontiff and avail myself of this occasion to express to You, dear Cardinal,
my feelings of consideration and esteem in Christ.