Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Assisi (Agenzia Fides) - A pressing call for peace was issued at the end of a special Meeting in Assisi 4 and 5 September of men and women of different religions and nationalities organised by the S. Egidio Community to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1st Inter-religious Day of Prayer for Peace held in Assisi in 1986. “Men and women of different religions, we have gathered in Assisi, the city of Francis, the Saint of peace, at a difficult time for our world, heavily burdened with tensions, conflicts and terrorist threats. We evoked the audacious and prophetic initiative of John Paul II”: these were the opening lines of the message which referred to the event as a ‘school of dialogue’ between different religions and between religions and secular humanist thought.
“Today we have gathered in prayer according to our different religious traditions, believing in the value of invoking God for the construction of peace. We have shown that prayer does not divide, rather it unites: we have prayed one beside the other, we will never pray one against the other.” The participants said after turning their attention to the problems and sufferings of the many people affected by situations of conflict “we do not surrender to the culture of conflict, that considers clashes the impending unavoidable fate of entire religious communities, cultures and civilisations.… peace cannot be renounced even when it appears difficult or hopeless to pursue. We want to help every man and every woman, those who have governmental responsibilities, to lift up their eyes, beyond pessimism, and discover that hope is at hand when we are capable of living the art of dialogue”.
From Assisi once again members of the world’s different religions launched a call to all believers “to pray and to work for peace”, and to strive especially to build dialogue “patient, truthful, sensible”. The message ended affirming “War is not unavoidable. Religions never justify hatred and violence. Those using the name of God to destroy others move away from true religion. Those spreading terror, death, and violence in the name of God must remember that peace is the name of God. God is stronger than those who want war, cultivate hatred, and live on violence.”
After the ceremony of lighting candles of peace and signing the appeal for peace, Prof. Andrea Riccardi, founder of the S. Egidio Community thanked the participants for taking part and reaffirmed his own commitment to work to build peaceful co-existence among cultures, religions and peoples. “Today peace may appear to be only for dreamers - Mr Riccardi said - on the scenes of the Middle East, and not just today, in serious African conflicts, in certain societies where there is no social peace and different groups defend themselves in closed areas. Terrorism tries to make peace seem an impossible dream by increasing insecurity and fear of a faceless enemy”. Riccardi said today when some say peace is only the dream “of people unable to look reality in the face” and that “conflict is part of the nature of certain civilisations and religions: it is their destiny and that therefore in the end, the future of humanity”...he felt the need to reaffirm that “conflicts are not a metaphysical destiny. There exist political, cultural responsibilities of the men who plan conflicts, and dig deep pits so wars can take root. Religions too can be pulled into the logic of war”.
The great task for religions, underlined by Pope Benedict XVI in his Message to the Assisi meeting was reaffirmed by Riccardi, “building peace in hearts. For religions peace even during war is an aspiration which cannot be renounced, the dream of a world human at last …religions have built brotherhood among peoples. They can continue to do so and on an ever larger scale, opening their arms ever wider. Peace today demands that we learn to live with people who are different… and have respect for the freedom of others”.
Next year the Meeting of Men and Religions will be held in Naples the splendid Mediterranean city which offers a warm welcome to all visitors, where dialoguing and living with others comes naturally as the Archbishop of Naples Card. Crescenzio Sepe, told those present when he took the floor at the very end of the evening. “I say this because I am aware that Naples speaks to the Mediterranean region where numerous conflicts can be sparked or quenched. Naples stands for Europe open to the Mediterranean, to Africa, to the world”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 6/9/2006 - Righe 47, Parole 709)
