Vatican City (Fides Service) – This morning, 19 December, Pope John Paul II received a delegation of Jurists of the committee which promoted studies collected in a volume in his honour to mark the 25th year of his Pontificate. In his address the Pope said he was aware that the initiative was attended by “420 Jurists from all over the world, including illustrious Jewish and Muslim scholars” and he said: “You all share the conviction that to protect the human person and human dignity and to achieve the common good and harmony among peoples, the path to be taken is to promote the “power” of ius, law, with due respect for every person, irrespective of culture, language or religion.”
The Pope recalled that these principles were mentioned in his Message for the World Day of Prayer for Peace, 1 January 2004, which underlined “the importance and urgency of teaching peace”. Lastly John Paul II said he hoped this Volume “will help to promote the fundamental duty to protect human rights, the qualities and also the limits of globalisation, the value of European integration and peace.”
(S.L.) (Fides Service 19/12/2003 – lines 13; words 201)