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Men and women of different religions, from many parts of the
world, we have gathered here in Naples to forge bonds of
brotherhood, and call to God for the great gift of peace.
The name of God is peace.
In the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and in this
extraordinary city, which is well acquainted with poverty
and greatness of heart, we stooped down upon the wounds of
the world. There is an illness that pollutes every thing and
its name is violence. Violence is the grim daily companion
of too many men and women on our planet. Violence becomes
war, terrorism, poverty and despair, exploitation of our
planet. It is fuelled by contempt, it stuns people with
hatred, it kills hope and sows fear, it strikes down the
innocent, and debases humanity. Violence seduces the hearts
of human beings and tells them, “nothing can change”. This
pessimism makes people believe that living together is
impossible.
From Naples we can say, stronger than before, that anyone who
uses the name of God to hate the other, to practice violence,
or to wage war, is cursing the name of God.
As Benedict XVI told us, “Never can evil and violence be
justified by invoking the name of God”.
We focused on our diverse religious traditions, we heard the
sorrow of the South of the World, and we felt the burden of
pessimism rising from the 20th century with its weight of
war and shattered illusions. We need the strength that comes
from the spirit of love, which helps rebuild and mend the
unity of humankind. The power of the spirit changes the
hearts of men and women and transforms history.
In the depths of our religious traditions we have discovered
that a world without dialogue is a world without hope, where
people are fated to fear each other. Dialogue does not
cancel differences. Dialogue enriches life and dispels
pessimism that makes one see the other as a threat. Dialogue
is not the illusion of the weak, it is the wisdom of the
strong, who rely on the weak power of prayer. And prayer
changes the world and the destiny of humankind. Dialogue
weakens no-one’s identity, and it encourages everyone to see
the best in the other. Nothing is lost with dialogue,
everything is possible through dialogue.
To those who still kill, to those who still sow terrorism and
wage war in the name of God, we say: “Stop! Do not kill!
Violence is always a defeat”.
We commit ourselves to learn the art of living together and to
offer it to our fellow believers. There is no alternative to
the unity of the human family. We need brave builders, in
all cultures, and in all religious traditions. We need the
globalization of the spirit, which reveals to us what we no
longer see: the beauty of life and of the other, in all
circumstances, even the hardest.
Our religious traditions teach us that prayer is an active
power in history, and it moves peoples and nations. Humbly,
we offer this ancient wisdom to the service of all peoples,
of every man and every woman, to open a new era of freedom
from fear and contempt for the other. It is the spirit of
Assisi, and here, from Naples, full of courage and strength,
it challenges violence and any abuse of religion as a
pretext for violence.
Following in this path, confident that peace can be a gift to
the whole world, we commit ourselves to the Most High.
Naples, 23
October 2007
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