Dialogue important for peace Pope tells Japanese students

21 Aug. 2013: Pope Francis spoke of the importance of dialogue for peace when he greeted a group of Japanese school children and their teachers on Wdnesday morning in Vatican’s San Damasco courtyard. Addressing in Italian the group of some 200 teenaged students of the Seibu Gauken Bunri Junior High School of Tokyo, Pope Francis hoped they would have a fruitful trip and get to know other people and their cultures and thus mature. The Pope told them that if we are isolated in ourselves, we only have what we have, we can not grow culturally. Instead, if we get to know other people, other cultures and other religions, we emerge from ourselves and begin the beautiful adventure called "dialogue." The Pope said dialogue is very important because it helps us to mature. Of course, there is a danger that if the dialogue closes and one gets angry, one can fight, and that's not good, because we must dialogue for peace not for fighting, said the Pope.
All the wars, all the struggles, all the problems that are not resolved are due to lack of dialogue, the Pope told the Japanese students. So, whenever you have a problem always dialogue, as dialogue helps to make peace the Pope said and wished them a happy Roman holiday.
The meeting concluded with the students singing a song in Japanese in honour of the Pope. The Holy Father praised their singing but told them he was’nt good at it.
Source: Sedoc