Message of Pope Benedict XVI for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace
(January 01, 2011) 1.At the beginning of each New Year I offer good wishes to each
and all for serenity and prosperity, but especially for peace. Sadly, the year now
ending has again been marked by persecution, discrimination, terrible acts of violence
and religious intolerance. My thoughts turn in a special way to the beloved country
of Iraq, which continues to be a theatre of violence and strife as it makes its way
towards a future of stability and reconciliation. I think of the recent sufferings
of the Christian community, and in particular the reprehensible attack on the Syro-Catholic
Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baghdad, where on 31 October two priests
and over fifty faithful were killed as they gathered for the celebration of Holy Mass.
In the days that followed, other attacks ensued, even on private homes, spreading
fear within the Christian community and a desire on the part of many to emigrate in
search of a better life. I assure them of my own closeness and that of the entire
Church, a closeness which found concrete expression in the recent Special Assembly
for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops. The Synod encouraged the Catholic communities
in Iraq and throughout the Middle East to live in communion and to continue to offer
a courageous witness of faith in those lands. I offer heartfelt thanks to those
Governments which are working to alleviate the sufferings of these, our brothers and
sisters in the human family, and I ask all Catholics for their prayers and support
for their brethren in the faith who are victims of violence and intolerance. In this
context, I have felt it particularly appropriate to share some reflections on religious
freedom as the path to peace. It is painful to think that in some areas of the world
it is impossible to profess one’s religion freely except at the risk of life and personal
liberty. In other areas we see more subtle and sophisticated forms of prejudice and
hostility towards believers and religious symbols. At present, Christians are the
religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith. Many
Christians experience daily affronts and often live in fear because of their pursuit
of truth, their faith in Jesus Christ and their heartfelt plea for respect for religious
freedom. This situation is unacceptable, since it represents an insult to God and
to human dignity; furthermore, it is a threat to security and peace, and an obstacle
to the achievement of authentic and integral human development. Religious freedom
expresses what is unique about the human person, for it allows us to direct our personal
and social life to God, in whose light the identity, meaning and purpose of the person
are fully understood. To deny or arbitrarily restrict this freedom is to foster a
reductive vision of the human person; to eclipse the public role of religion is to
create a society which is unjust, inasmuch as it fails to take account of the true
nature of the human person; it is to stifle the growth of the authentic and lasting
peace of the whole human family. For this reason, I implore all men and women of
good will to renew their commitment to building a world where all are free to profess
their religion or faith, and to express their love of God with all their heart, with
all their soul and with all their mind (cf. Mt 22:37). This is the sentiment which
inspires and directs this Message for the XLIV World Day of Peace, devoted to the
theme: Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace.
A sacred right to life and to
a spiritual life
2. The right to religious freedom is rooted in the very dignity
of the human person, whose transcendent nature must not be ignored or overlooked.
God created man and woman in his own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:27). For this
reason each person is endowed with the sacred right to a full life, also from a spiritual
standpoint. Without the acknowledgement of his spiritual being, without openness
to the transcendent, the human person withdraws within himself, fails to find answers
to the heart’s deepest questions about life’s meaning, fails to appropriate lasting
ethical values and principles, and fails even to experience authentic freedom and
to build a just society. Sacred Scripture, in harmony with our own experience,
reveals the profound value of human dignity: “When I look at your heavens, the work
of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have established, what is man that
you are mindful of him, and the son of man, that you care for him? Yet you have made
him little less than God, and crowned him with glory and honour. You have given him
dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Ps
8:3-6). Contemplating the sublime reality of human nature, we can experience the same
amazement felt by the Psalmist. Our nature appears as openness to the Mystery, a
capacity to ask deep questions about ourselves and the origin of the universe, and
a profound echo of the supreme Love of God, the beginning and end of all things, of
every person and people. The transcendent dignity of the person is an essential
value of Judeo-Christian wisdom, yet thanks to the use of reason, it can be recognized
by all. This dignity understood as a capacity to transcend one’s own materiality
and to seek truth, must be acknowledged as a universal good, indispensable for the
building of a society directed to human fulfilment. Respect for essential elements
of human dignity, such as the right to life and the right to religious freedom, is
a condition for the moral legitimacy of every social and legal norm.
Religious
freedom and mutual respect
3. Religious freedom is at the origin of moral freedom.
Openness to truth and perfect goodness, openness to God, is rooted in human nature;
it confers full dignity on each individual and is the guarantee of full mutual respect
between persons. Religious freedom should be understood, then, not merely as immunity
from coercion, but even more fundamentally as an ability to order one’s own choices
in accordance with truth. Freedom and respect are inseparable; indeed, “in exercising
their rights, individuals and social groups are bound by the moral law to have regard
for the rights of others, their own duties to others and the common good of all”.
A freedom which is hostile or indifferent to God becomes self-negating and does
not guarantee full respect for others. A will which believes itself radically incapable
of seeking truth and goodness has no objective reasons or motives for acting save
those imposed by its fleeting and contingent interests; it does not have an “identity”
to safeguard and build up through truly free and conscious decisions. As a result,
it cannot demand respect from other “wills”, which are themselves detached from their
own deepest being and thus capable of imposing other “reasons” or, for that matter,
no “reason” at all. The illusion that moral relativism provides the key for peaceful
coexistence is actually the origin of divisions and the denial of the dignity of human
beings. Hence we can see the need for recognition of a twofold dimension within the
unity of the human person: a religious dimension and a social dimension. In this
regard, “it is inconceivable that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves
– their faith – in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny
God in order to enjoy one’s rights”.
The family, the school of freedom and
peace
4. If religious freedom is the path to peace, religious education is
the highway which leads new generations to see others as their brothers and sisters,
with whom they are called to journey and work together so that all will feel that
they are living members of the one human family, from which no one is to be excluded.
The family founded on marriage, as the expression of the close union and complementarity
between a man and a woman, finds its place here as the first school for the social,
cultural, moral and spiritual formation and growth of children, who should always
be able to see in their father and mother the first witnesses of a life directed to
the pursuit of truth and the love of God. Parents must be always free to transmit
to their children, responsibly and without constraints, their heritage of faith, values
and culture. The family, the first cell of human society, remains the primary training
ground for harmonious relations at every level of coexistence, human, national and
international. Wisdom suggests that this is the road to building a strong and fraternal
social fabric, in which young people can be prepared to assume their proper responsibilities
in life, in a free society, and in a spirit of understanding and peace.
A common
patrimony
5. It could be said that among the fundamental rights and freedoms
rooted in the dignity of the person, religious freedom enjoys a special status. When
religious freedom is acknowledged, the dignity of the human person is respected at
its root, and the ethos and institutions of peoples are strengthened. On the other
hand, whenever religious freedom is denied, and attempts are made to hinder people
from professing their religion or faith and living accordingly, human dignity is offended,
with a resulting threat to justice and peace, which are grounded in that right social
order established in the light of Supreme Truth and Supreme Goodness. Religious
freedom is, in this sense, also an achievement of a sound political and juridical
culture. It is an essential good: each person must be able freely to exercise the
right to profess and manifest, individually or in community, his or her own religion
or faith, in public and in private, in teaching, in practice, in publications, in
worship and in ritual observances. There should be no obstacles should he or she
eventually wish to belong to another religion or profess none at all. In this context,
international law is a model and an essential point of reference for states, insofar
as it allows no derogation from religious freedom, as long as the just requirements
of public order are observed. The international order thus recognizes that rights
of a religious nature have the same status as the right to life and to personal freedom,
as proof of the fact that they belong to the essential core of human rights, to those
universal and natural rights which human law can never deny. Religious freedom
is not the exclusive patrimony of believers, but of the whole family of the earth’s
peoples. It is an essential element of a constitutional state; it cannot be denied
without at the same time encroaching on all fundamental rights and freedoms, since
it is their synthesis and keystone. It is “the litmus test for the respect of all
the other human rights”. While it favours the exercise of our most specifically
human faculties, it creates the necessary premises for the attainment of an integral
development which concerns the whole of the person in every single dimension.
The
public dimension of religion
6. Religious freedom, like every freedom, proceeds
from the personal sphere and is achieved in relationship with others. Freedom without
relationship is not full freedom. Religious freedom is not limited to the individual
dimension alone, but is attained within one’s community and in society, in a way consistent
with the relational being of the person and the public nature of religion. Relationship
is a decisive component in religious freedom, which impels the community of believers
to practise solidarity for the common good. In this communitarian dimension, each
person remains unique and unrepeatable, while at the same time finding completion
and full realization. The contribution of religious communities to society is
undeniable. Numerous charitable and cultural institutions testify to the constructive
role played by believers in the life of society. More important still is religion’s
ethical contribution in the political sphere. Religion should not be marginalized
or prohibited, but seen as making an effective contribution to the promotion of the
common good. In this context mention should be made of the religious dimension of
culture, built up over centuries thanks to the social and especially ethical contributions
of religion. This dimension is in no way discriminatory towards those who do not
share its beliefs, but instead reinforces social cohesion, integration and solidarity.
Religious
freedom, a force for freedom and civilization: dangers arising from its exploitation
7. The
exploitation of religious freedom to disguise hidden interests, such as the subversion
of the established order, the hoarding of resources or the grip on power of a single
group, can cause enormous harm to societies. Fanaticism, fundamentalism and practices
contrary to human dignity can never be justified, even less so in the name of religion.
The profession of a religion cannot be exploited or imposed by force. States and
the various human communities must never forget that religious freedom is the condition
for the pursuit of truth, and truth does not impose itself by violence but “by the
force of its own truth”. In this sense, religion is a positive driving force for
the building of civil and political society. How can anyone deny the contribution
of the world’s great religions to the development of civilization? The sincere search
for God has led to greater respect for human dignity. Christian communities, with
their patrimony of values and principles, have contributed much to making individuals
and peoples aware of their identity and their dignity, the establishment of democratic
institutions and the recognition of human rights and their corresponding duties. Today
too, in an increasingly globalized society, Christians are called, not only through
their responsible involvement in civic, economic and political life but also through
the witness of their charity and faith, to offer a valuable contribution to the laborious
and stimulating pursuit of justice, integral human development and the right ordering
of human affairs. The exclusion of religion from public life deprives the latter
of a dimension open to transcendence. Without this fundamental experience it becomes
difficult to guide societies towards universal ethical principles and to establish
at the national and international level a legal order which fully recognizes and respects
fundamental rights and freedoms as these are set forth in the goals – sadly still
disregarded or contradicted – of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
An
issue of justice and civility: fundamentalism and hostility to believers compromise
the positive secularity of states
8. The same determination that condemns every
form of fanaticism and religious fundamentalism must also oppose every form of hostility
to religion that would restrict the public role of believers in civil and political
life. It should be clear that religious fundamentalism and secularism are alike
in that both represent extreme forms of a rejection of legitimate pluralism and the
principle of secularity. Both absolutize a reductive and partial vision of the human
person, favouring in the one case forms of religious integralism and, in the other,
of rationalism. A society that would violently impose or, on the contrary, reject
religion is not only unjust to individuals and to God, but also to itself. God beckons
humanity with a loving plan that, while engaging the whole person in his or her natural
and spiritual dimensions, calls for a free and responsible answer which engages the
whole heart and being, individual and communitarian. Society too, as an expression
of the person and of all his or her constitutive dimensions, must live and organize
itself in a way that favours openness to transcendence. Precisely for this reason,
the laws and institutions of a society cannot be shaped in such a way as to ignore
the religious dimension of its citizens or to prescind completely from it. Through
the democratic activity of citizens conscious of their lofty calling, those laws and
institutions must adequately reflect the authentic nature of the person and support
its religious dimension. Since the latter is not a creation of the state, it cannot
be manipulated by the state, but must rather be acknowledged and respected by it. Whenever
the legal system at any level, national or international, allows or tolerates religious
or antireligious fanaticism, it fails in its mission, which is to protect and promote
justice and the rights of all. These matters cannot be left to the discretion of
the legislator or the majority since, as Cicero once pointed out, justice is something
more than a mere act which produces and applies law. It entails acknowledging the
dignity of each person which, unless religious freedom is guaranteed and lived in
its essence, ends up being curtailed and offended, exposed to the risk of falling
under the sway of idols, of relative goods which then become absolute. All this exposes
society to the risk of forms of political and ideological totalitarianism which emphasize
public power while demeaning and restricting freedom of conscience, thought and religion
as potential competitors.
Dialogue between civil and religious institutions
9. The
patrimony of principles and values expressed by an authentic religiosity is a source
of enrichment for peoples and their ethos. It speaks directly to the conscience and
mind of men and women, it recalls the need for moral conversion, and it encourages
the practice of the virtues and a loving approach to others as brothers and sisters,
as members of the larger human family. With due respect for the positive secularity
of state institutions, the public dimension of religion must always be acknowledged.
A healthy dialogue between civil and religious institutions is fundamental for the
integral development of the human person and social harmony.
Living in love
and in truth
10. In a globalized world marked by increasingly multi-ethnic
and multi-religious societies, the great religions can serve as an important factor
of unity and peace for the human family. On the basis of their religious convictions
and their reasoned pursuit of the common good, their followers are called to give
responsible expression to their commitment within a context of religious freedom.
Amid the variety of religious cultures, there is a need to value those elements which
foster civil coexistence, while rejecting whatever is contrary to the dignity of men
and women. The public space which the international community makes available
for the religions and their proposal of what constitutes a “good life” helps to create
a measure of agreement about truth and goodness, and a moral consensus; both of these
are fundamental to a just and peaceful coexistence. The leaders of the great religions,
thanks to their position, their influence and their authority in their respective
communities, are the first ones called to mutual respect and dialogue. Christians,
for their part, are spurred by their faith in God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to live as brothers and sisters who encounter one another in the Church and work together
in building a world where individuals and peoples “shall not hurt or destroy … for
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”
(Is 11:9).
Dialogue as a shared pursuit
11. For the Church, dialogue
between the followers of the different religions represents an important means of
cooperating with all religious communities for the common good. The Church herself
rejects nothing of what is true and holy in the various religions. “She has a high
regard for those ways of life and conduct, precepts and doctrines which, although
differing in many ways from her own teaching, nevertheless often reflect a ray of
that truth which enlightens all men and women”. The path to take is not the way
of relativism or religious syncretism. The Church, in fact, “proclaims, and is in
duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth and the life
(Jn 14:6); in Christ, in whom God reconciled all things to himself, people find the
fullness of the religious life”. Yet this in no way excludes dialogue and the common
pursuit of truth in different areas of life, since, as Saint Thomas Aquinas would
say, “every truth, whoever utters it, comes from the Holy Spirit”. The year 2011
marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened in
Assisi in 1986 by Pope John Paul II. On that occasion the leaders of the great world
religions testified to the fact that religion is a factor of union and peace, and
not of division and conflict. The memory of that experience gives reason to hope
for a future in which all believers will see themselves, and will actually be, agents
of justice and peace.
Moral truth in politics and diplomacy
12. Politics
and diplomacy should look to the moral and spiritual patrimony offered by the great
religions of the world in order to acknowledge and affirm universal truths, principles
and values which cannot be denied without denying the dignity of the human person.
But what does it mean, in practical terms, to promote moral truth in the world of
politics and diplomacy? It means acting in a responsible way on the basis of an objective
and integral knowledge of the facts; it means deconstructing political ideologies
which end up supplanting truth and human dignity in order to promote pseudo-values
under the pretext of peace, development and human rights; it means fostering an unswerving
commitment to base positive law on the principles of the natural law. All this is
necessary and consistent with the respect for the dignity and worth of the human person
enshrined by the world’s peoples in the 1945 Charter of the United Nations, which
presents universal values and moral principles as a point of reference for the norms,
institutions and systems governing coexistence on the national and international levels.
Beyond
hatred and prejudice
13. Despite the lessons of history and the efforts of
states, international and regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and
the many men and women of good will who daily work to protect fundamental rights and
freedoms, today’s world also witnesses cases of persecution, discrimination, acts
of violence and intolerance based on religion. In a particular way, in Asia and in
Africa, the chief victims are the members of religious minorities, who are prevented
from freely professing or changing their religion by forms of intimidation and the
violation of their rights, basic freedoms and essential goods, including the loss
of personal freedom and life itself. There also exist – as I have said – more sophisticated
forms of hostility to religion which, in Western countries, occasionally find expression
in a denial of history and the rejection of religious symbols which reflect the identity
and the culture of the majority of citizens. Often these forms of hostility also
foster hatred and prejudice; they are inconsistent with a serene and balanced vision
of pluralism and the secularity of institutions, to say nothing of the fact that coming
generations risk losing contact with the priceless spiritual heritage of their countries. Religion
is defended by defending the rights and freedoms of religious communities. The leaders
of the great world religions and the leaders of nations should therefore renew their
commitment to promoting and protecting religious freedom, and in particular to defending
religious minorities; these do not represent a threat to the identity of the majority
but rather an opportunity for dialogue and mutual cultural enrichment. Defending
them is the ideal way to consolidate the spirit of good will, openness and reciprocity
which can ensure the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in all areas and
regions of the world.
Religious freedom in the world
14. Finally
I wish to say a word to the Christian communities suffering from persecution, discrimination,
violence and intolerance, particularly in Asia, in Africa, in the Middle East and
especially in the Holy Land, a place chosen and blessed by God. I assure them once
more of my paternal affection and prayers, and I ask all those in authority to act
promptly to end every injustice against the Christians living in those lands. In
the face of present difficulties, may Christ’s followers not lose heart, for witnessing
to the Gospel is, and always will be, a sign of contradiction. Let us take to
heart the words of the Lord Jesus: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted … Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall
be satisfied … Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all
kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
is great in heaven” (Mt 5:4-12). Then let us renew “the pledge we give to be forgiving
and to pardon when we invoke God’s forgiveness in the Our Father. We ourselves lay
down the condition and the extent of the mercy we ask for when we say: ‘And forgive
us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us’ (Mt 6:12)”. Violence
is not overcome by violence. May our cries of pain always be accompanied by faith,
by hope and by the witness of our love of God. I also express my hope that in the
West, and especially in Europe, there will be an end to hostility and prejudice against
Christians because they are resolved to orient their lives in a way consistent with
the values and principles expressed in the Gospel. May Europe rather be reconciled
to its own Christian roots, which are fundamental for understanding its past, present
and future role in history; in this way it will come to experience justice, concord
and peace by cultivating a sincere dialogue with all peoples.
Religious freedom,
the path to peace
15. The world needs God. It needs universal, shared ethical
and spiritual values, and religion can offer a precious contribution to their pursuit,
for the building of a just and peaceful social order at the national and international
levels. Peace is a gift of God and at the same time a task which is never fully completed.
A society reconciled with God is closer to peace, which is not the mere absence of
war or the result of military or economic supremacy, much less deceptive ploys or
clever manipulation. Rather, peace is the result of a process of purification and
of cultural, moral and spiritual elevation involving each individual and people, a
process in which human dignity is fully respected. I invite all those who wish to
be peacemakers, especially the young, to heed the voice speaking within their hearts
and thus to find in God the stable point of reference for attaining authentic freedom,
the inexhaustible force which can give the world a new direction and spirit, and overcome
the mistakes of the past. In the words of Pope Paul VI, to whose wisdom and farsightedness
we owe the institution of the World Day of Peace: “It is necessary before all else
to provide peace with other weapons – different from those destined to kill and exterminate
mankind. What are needed above all are moral weapons, those which give strength and
prestige to international law – the weapon, in the first place, of the observance
of pacts”. Religious freedom is an authentic weapon of peace, with an historical
and prophetic mission. Peace brings to full fruition the deepest qualities and potentials
of the human person, the qualities which can change the world and make it better.
It gives hope for a future of justice and peace, even in the face of grave injustice
and material and moral poverty. May all men and women, and societies at every level
and in every part of the earth, soon be able to experience religious freedom, the
path to peace!