Speeches 1988 - TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF AN INTERFAITH MEETING


ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II

TO THE BISHOPS FROM MICRONESIA, MELANESIA AND POLYNESIA

ON THEIR «AD LIMINA» VISIT

Friday, 28 October 1988

Dear brother Bishops,

1. I welcome you today in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who unites us in a true spirit of love and peace. It is a great joy for me to meet with each of you on the occasion of your ad Limina visits, and to learn of the “mighty works of God” that fill the life of the Church in Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. I am also pleased to note that the ecclesiastical Province of Agaña now forms part of your Episcopal Conference. In praying at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, you represent your local Churches in paying homage to the memory of these pillars of the roman Church. With this homage you join the spiritual treasures of Christian living possessed by your clergy, religious and laity, treasures which you share with the Church universal through the mystery of ecclesial communion.

The whole Church rejoices with you in recalling the centennial and sesquicentennial anniversaries of Christian evangelization that many of your Churches have celebrated recently or will celebrate in the near future.

She joins you in giving thanks to God for the fruitfulness, of the Gospel experienced by the peoples of the Pacific. She is filled with confidence and prayerful hope that “your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness. which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God”.

2. Dear brothers, I know that this is an important time for the future shaping of the Church in the islands of the Pacific. The seeds of Christian faith which were planted have produced a young tree which will continue to grow strong and bear fruit, if given the loving and watchful care that it requires. At this moment in your history, independent nationhood is still a recent development for many of your countries, while evangelization and the building up of local Churches remains a relatively fresh experience. There is a growing awareness among your people of their particular cultural identity and heritage within the human family and within the communion of the Church. They are eager to assume responsibility for themselves in a way that bears witness to the dignity and uniqueness of their culture. In these circumstances their witness to the Gospel renews the Church’s youth. It gives inspiration to your brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world to seek that renewal which “consists essentially in an increase of fidelity to the Church’s calling”. This witness encourages all the peoples of your islands to work for a just and peaceful society based on love of God and neighbour.

The challenge awaiting your Churches is simply this: to penetrate ever more deeply into the fathomless riches of Christ so that he may lead and guide you in every aspect of life; to move from strength in an ever higher synthesis of faith and life, of the Gospel and culture. The Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi” puts it very well: “Evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new... (Its purpose) is... to convert... both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, and the lives and concrete milieux which are theirs”. “What matters is to evangelize man’s culture and cultures... in a vital way, in depth and right to their very roots”.

3. As we well know, these goals, so clearly stated by my predecessor Paul VI, are not reached once and for all, but must be achieved anew in every age. Wise indeed is the observation that in this changing world we never stay the same; if we do not move forward then we will inevitably move backwards in our struggle to find fulfilment as human persons and as a human family. All the more then should we, who are told that we “must be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect”, constantly strive to go deeper and to aim higher in building up the body of Christ and in transforming the world from within.

This is a particular moment in your history, when political, economic and cultural developments will undoubtedly require that any number of choices be made about the kind of society your people wish for themselves and for their children, and about the kind of contribution they will make to the family of nations. By bearing witness to the Gospel at the very roots of political, economic and cultural life, each of your local Churches helps to promote the peace that arms cannot ensure, the happiness that money cannot buy, the sense of self-worth and security that individuals must find within themselves and not in a superficial mass culture.

In every age the Church works and prays that, as they shape their society and culture, people will be guided by a love for what is good, for what is in keeping with the human dignity that comes from God himself. It is, moreover, her conviction that man ‘s deepest aspirations are fulfilled only in the perfect man, Jesus Christ, who is “full of grace and truth” and “from whose fullness we have all received”. The more deeply your local Churches are rooted in this faith, the more effectively will they challenge humanity to go deeper and to aim higher in striving to fulfil the human vocation, that is, communion with God and with others in a “civilization of love” that is an earthly foretaste, however imperfect, of the eternal bliss of heaven.

4. The Church’s mission to elevate and deepen our humanity by means of the Gospel unfolds on many different levels. One of the most important is marriage and family life. The Christian faith, which proclaims that “God is love”, cannot fail to embrace that most intimate of human loves, namely, conjugal love, which is ordained to the procreation of new human beings who are living reflections of the love between the two spouses. The union of husband and wife constitutes a sacrament of salvation, a sacrament of Christ’s love for the Church. As your societies are increasingly exposed to the cross-currents of mass culture in today’s world, there is a danger that Christian values of marriage and family life may be undermined. It is important that there should be a conscious choice on the part of all the peoples of the Pacific to uphold the dignity of marriage and the family, which has no less a mission that that of “guarding, revealing and communicating love”.

What could be more important for the future of your peoples and for the well-being of all humanity? Every effort on your part to safeguard and promote the sanctity of marriage and the family constitutes a challenge to people to go deeper and to aim higher in understanding and in living these human realities which must never be divorced from the source of life and love who is the Creator.

5. L’estime que nous avons pour le mariage chrétien conduit aussi à exprimer notre estime pour le célibat et la virginité consacrée. C’est seulement lorsque la sexualité humaine est respectée comme un bien qui vient de Dieu que le célibat et la virginité peuvent prendre le sens positif d’un don de soi spécifique pour le Royaume des cieux. Je partage la joie de ceux d’entre vous dont les Eglises locales voient naître des vocations au sacerdoce et à la vie religieuse. Cela représente une moisson évangélique très précieuse. C’est un signe de ce que les racines de la foi sont bien implantées dans vos cultures. En même temps, je sais aussi que d’autres parmi vous aimeraient que des vocations plus nombreuses naissent dans leur peuple. Je vous invite à ne pas vous décourager, mais à continuer à travailler et à prier le Seigneur “d’envoyer des ouvriers à sa moisson”.

Dans chacun de ses états de vie, le chrétien est appelé à approfondir et à élever tout ce qui est humain. En accueillant le Christ dans l’intimité du mariage et de la famille, ou en se mettant eux-mêmes totalement à son service dans le sacerdoce ou la vie religieuse, les chrétiens contribuent de différentes manières à construire le corps du Christ et à transformer le monde pour qu’il devienne la famille de Dieu.

Je voudrais aussi rendre grâce avec vous pour le ministère des diacres permanense dans vos Eglises locales: ils se consacrent généreusement au service de la parole de Dieu, de la liturgie et de la charité. Et je ne puis manquer d’avoir une pensée pour les nombreux catéchistes qui jouent un rôle si important pour préserver et approfondir les fondements de la foi dans la vie de leurs frères et soeurs.

6. L’oeuvre des catéchistes amène à évoquer un autre domaine de grande importance pour un authentique développement humain et chrétien, je veux dire l’éducation. Par son effort éducatif, l’Eglise cherche à donner, à la lumière de l’Evangile, une réponse aux attentes de la personne humaine. L’évangélisation et l’éducation ont toujours été intimement liées, précisément parce que l’Evangile confirme et élève tout ce qui est beau, vrai et bon dans la recherche humaine du savoir et de l’épanouissement de soi. Nous sommes convaincus que cette recherche conduit vers Dieu dans le Christ qui est “le chemin, la vérité et la vie”. Ainsi l’Eglise, “par les richesses d’en-haut, féconde comme de l’intérieur les qualités spirituelles et les dons propres à chaque peuple et à chaque âge, elle les fortifie, les parfait et les restaure dans le Christ”. J’ai confiance dans les efforts de vos Eglises locales pour donner une éducation de qualité, fondée sur de fermes principes chrétiens; ils produiront des fruits abondants non seulement pour l’Eglise mais pour le bien de toute la société dans le Pacifique.

7. Chers Frères, l’Evangile nous invite aussi à être les ministres de la réconciliation; dans les nombreux conflits qui ébranlent le monde aujourd’hui, nous avons à chercher un terrain d’entente plus profond et à nous placer sur le plan le plus élevé de l’amour fraternel. C’est là aussi un fruit important de l’évangélisation. De tout coeur, je dis mon espérance – et je prie pour cela – que tous les peuples du Pacifique sauront vivre en harmonie et dans la prospérité, que les conflits seront résolus pacifiquement dans la justice et le respect des intérêts et des aspirations de tous. II est un autre aspect important du ministère de la réconciliation, c’est notre devoir de guérir les blessures des divisions entre les chrétiens et de chercher une meilleure compréhension avec les membres des autres religions. Je vous encourage à poursuivre vos efforts dans ces domaines, en vous appuyant sur le fondement des principes fermes de l’oecuménisme et du dialogue que le deuxième Concile du Vatican a enseignés et que la discipline et l’enseignement de l’Eglise ont précisés depuis.

8. Les Iles sur lesquelles s’étend votre Conférence épiscopale ont maintenant deux grands témoins de la foi, saint Pierre Chanel et le bienheureux Diego Luis de San Vitores. Puissent vos pays, malgré leur grande dispersion et la diversité de leurs cultures, demeurer dans l’unité de la foi que ces missionnaires ont apportée dans le Pacifique au prix de leur vie. Que la graine qu’avec tant d’autres ils ont semée continue à produire une moisson abondante pour la gloire de Dieu et le bien de la famille humaine. Je prie pour que ces deux martyrs, en union avec Notre-Dame, l’Etoile de la Mer, intercèdent pour vous et pour vos peuples. A vous tous, je donne de grand coeur ma Bénédiction Apostolique.


TO THE BISHOPS FROM PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND

THE SOLOMON ISLANDS ON THEIR «AD LIMINA» VISIT

Saturday, 29 October 1988

Dear brother Bishops,

1. I cordially welcome you to Rome on the occasion of your ad Limina visit. I am confident that your prayers at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul and your fraternal encounter with the Successor of Peter will serve to deepen the mystery of communion that is the Church. You have come from afar in order to bear witness to the unity of the body of Christ and to strengthen that “solicitude for the whole Church”, which is our special responsibility within the College of Bishops. At the same time, as pastors of your local Churches, you bring a rich diversity of culture and experience to the Church universal.

Through you, I wish to greet all the clergy, religious and laity of Papua New Guinea and of the Solomon Islands and to confirm them in their faith. I recall with joy and thanksgiving my pastoral visit in 1984, at which time I witnessed personally the deep spirit of faith, hope and love with which your Churches are blessed. Today I make my own the words of Saint Paul to the Colossians: “We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good word and increasing in the knowledge of God”. These words reveal the dynamism of your life in Christ: the People of God in Papua New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands are filled with the gifts of the Spirit so that they may bear fruit ever more abundantly on this our earthly pilgrimage.

2. I wish to reflect with you briefly today on some aspects of the Church’s life in your Dioceses. As I mentioned during my pastoral visit, the foundations of your ecclesial life were established by courageous and dedicated missionaries who left behind home and country in order to bring Christ to those who had not heard the Gospel. We give thanks to God for those who brought the new life of grace to your islands. Some of you and many of your clergy and religious are likewise members of missionary Congregations. You have become one with your people in a true bond of love, and have eagerly sought to make your home with them, so that, as Saint Paul says, they may “bear fruit in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God”. I know that you face difficulties in ministering to communities that are widely scattered and often isolated from one another, communities that lack the personnel and financial resources necessary for all that needs to be done.

Yet all of you, both missionary bishops and bishops given by the local Churches, are carrying out a great work of evangelization marked by unity and zeal, for which I wish to commend you and to thank you on behalf of the whole Church.

At the same time it is only natural that with the passing of years the need for indigenous bishops, priests and religious will increase as the faith deepens its roots and the people of your islands seek an ever greater responsibility for themselves and for their local Churches. I encourage you to continue your efforts to ensure the blossoming of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and the solid spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation of the young people who will play an ever greater role in your dioceses as the bishops, priests and religious of the future.

3. One of the great blessings of the Second Vatican Council is our renewed awareness of the laity’s role in the life and mission of the Church. This also involves another issue of fundamental importance, namely, the relationship of the Church to the world. The Council says that “the People of God believes itself to be led by the Spirit of the Lord who fills the whole world. Moved by that faith, it strives to discern in the events, the needs and the longings which it shares with the people of our time, those things that are authentic signs of God’s presence or of his plan. For faith throws new light on all things and makes known the divine will for man’s integral vocation, thus guiding the mind towards solutions that are fully human”.

“Faith throws new light on all things”: every form of authentic Christian living, in all its diversity, is a participation in the Church’s one mission to be a sacrament of salvation in and for the world. The laity work for the evangelization and sanctification of others by the way that they are present and active in the midst of everyday life, both in private and in public. They illuminate and order human society and all temporal realities so that they may be renewed by Christ and transformed in accordance with God’s plan.

In Papua New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands, and throughout the Church, there are many ways in which lay people can fulfill this mission, especially by their witness to the Gospel in social, economic, political and cultural life. Special mention must be made of the contribution of those who are associated directly in the Church’s ministry in areas such as catechesis, education, social work and charitable assistance. And there is that most basic Christian witness which the laity are called to give in relation to marriage and family life. As Christians we believe that in Christ God has confirmed, purified and elevated the call to communion, and has perfected marriage as a sacrament of redemption. In Christ the Bridegroom, marriage becomes a living sign of the unity which makes the Church his body, and of the fullness of love that is found in God alone. Christian marriage and family life are the threshold by which new human beings enter both the human race and the household of faith. Both parents and children learn from one another how to live and act as human beings within a human community. The seeds of faith and of love for God are planted and nourished within this “domestic church”.

4. Dear brothers, we who have been called by the Good Shepherd to pasture the flock entrused to our care have the responsibility of leading guiding and encouraging our people in Christian living.

We must do everything possible to promote an ever deeper spiritual and doctrinal formation among the laity so that they can be effective witnesses to the Gospel within the society of which they are a part. This includes a particular concern on our part to uphold the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of marriage and the family through pastoral initiatives that support married couples at every stage of their life together. Our attention is especially needed by those in difficult or irregular situations due to divorce or other problems. It is my conviction that the pastoral care of the family is of utmost importance, because the future of evangelization depends largely on the “domestic church”.

5. The fostering of marriage and family life which I have mentioned is intimately joined to the Church’s defence of the inalienable rights of every human person created in the image and likeness of God. She cannot fail to condemn crimes against life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, and wilful suicide; all violations of the integrity of the human person, such as physical and mental torture, undue phychological pressures, the deprivation of religious liberty and of freedom of conscience; all offences against human dignity, such as racial discrimination, subhuman living and working conditions, arbitrary treatment under the law, and every form of exploitation for economic or other purposes. The defence of the human person also requires a positive effort on the part of the Church to promote authentic human development by word and example. She does this especially when her own members give generously of themselves and of what they have for the sake of others out of love for the common good, and follow the path of forgiveness rather than that of hatred and violence when they are wronged.

In bringing the Gospel to bear on their own lives and the life of society, Christ’s faithful in Papua New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands look to you, dear brothers, for leadership and inspiration in finding “solutions that are fully human” because they are rooted in “the divine will for man’s integral vocation”. You give this leadership and inspiration not only as individual pastors, but also when you act together in order to preserve and promote Catholic teaching or apply that teaching to concrete situations. I would encourage you to pursue this through the publication, on both the diocesan and national levels, of pastoral letters and statements like the one on religious freedom, which I have mentioned. Use should also be made of the mass media in making known the Church’s position on problems of the day. In this way the religious and moral dimension, which is essential for building up a more just and peaceful society, will not be lacking. By persevering along this path, you will fulfill the admonition of the Second Letter to Timothy: “Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.

6. Christian witness to the Gospel also touches other Christians and all people of good will. I know that there is an ecumenical dimension to the life of your local Churches which is readily embraced and accepted. We can give thanks to God for every effort to understand better the faith of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters and to collaborate with them in a true spirit of love. In this way we hope to grow together with them along the path of unity. A true spirit of ecumenism also challenges us to grow in love and understanding of our own Catholic faith. Otherwise we may be tempted to brush aside serious doctrinal, disciplinary and historical differences, and our efforts will remain superficial and sterile because they fail to get to the roots of division. I am confident that by deepening their knowledge and appreciation of their own faith in the search for better understanding of the faith of others, the Catholic people of your islands can make an important contribution to the great ecumenical task to which the Church is so firmly committed.

7. Dear brothers, may each of your local Churches always be a sign of loving Christian communion, a beacon of hope for all who seek truly human solutions to the problems that beset individuals and society, a source of encouragement to all those who strive to conduct their lives in accordance with the will of God for our salvation. May the People of God in Papua New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands lead the societies of which they are a part to an ever deeper realization that human fulfillment and happiness are to be found in God and in his plan for us, which is one of love and mercy for all the sons and daughters of the human race. On this joyful occasion, I invoke upon you and your people the strength and peace that come from on high, and I cordially impart to you my Apostolic Blessing.

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II

TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON

THE THEME: 'PEOPLE OF PRAYER PEOPLE OF PEACE'

Saturday, 29 October 1988



It gives me great pleasure to welcome you and to meet you personally in order to express my sentiments of friendship and respect. You are bringing to a close your second Meeting, called Man and Religion, on the theme of People of Prayer in search of Peace. In these days spent in Rome you have met in a spirit of fraternal harmony to discuss, in seminars and conferences, the place of peace in the various religions. Above all, as men and women of religion and prayer, you have prayed for peace. The high point of your gathering, in fact, has been the day of prayer in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and in the adjoining square.

Two years after the World Day of Prayer for Peace at Assisi, at which some of you were present, you have come together to remember that event and to deepen that commitment and that spirit. Addressing the Representatives of the Religions of the World on that occasion, I said: “Let us continue to spread the message of peace. Let us continue to live the spirit of Assisi”. I therefore congratulate the Community of Saint Egidio, which has again organized this Meeting in Rome, in that same spirit of hospitality and friendship which distinguishes those who have made service and dialogue the centre of their lives.

The great gift of peace requires that we persevere in the spirit of prayer and hope which we experienced at Assisi. The threat of conflict has not disappeared. There are still people who are suffering the consequences of war and strife. Many still place their trust in the force of arms as a means of resolving disputes among nations. Our prayers and our will for peace seem small when compared to the widespread logic of force. Yet they constitute a splendid reserve of spiritual energies that saves the world from the onslaught of violence, and offer inspiration and encouragement to the builders of peace.

The world needs peacemakers. And it is among those who put prayer and the reference to God at the centre of their lives that they should be found. Your Meeting shows the willingness of believers to be committed to the work of peace. Indeed, men and women of prayer, believers are by their very vocation builders of peace. They feel “the intrinsic link between an authentic religious attitude and the great good of peace”. This year you are presenting this invitation: “Let every religious man and woman, every believer, be always and in every act a witness and seeker of peace”.

In the joy of welcoming all of you, I greet in a particular way my brothers and sisters of the various Christian Churches and communities. For us Christians, for me as Bishop of Rome, the commitment to peace is profoundly rooted in our faith in God who is revealed in Jesus Christ. Of him the Apostle Paul says: “He is our peace”. And it is also in the depths of our faith, not in a shallow feeling, that there is rooted the choice of dialogue and friendship with the followers of other Religions – as the second Vatican Council affirms – in order to cooperate in efforts to promote the unity of the human family, to put an end to painful conflicts, to foster justice and the spiritual growth of humanity. Because they are rooted in our Christian faith, this dialogue, this friendship and this collaboration in the work of peace with the followers of other Religions do not in any way diminish the faithful witness that we must give together to Christ who, we believe, is the Saviour of all. This witness is induced and required by our faith.

Dear Brothers and Sisters who belong to the great world Religions, you know that in the course of my pontificate – at Assisi, here in Rome and during my visits to various countries of the world – I have met with exponents of many Religions and I have had occasion to exchange respectful sentiments of friendship: I have been able to ascertain how, despite obvious differences, a climate of dialogue and of shared responsibility is growing. The presence of worthy representatives of the world Religions, like your own presence here in Rome, cannot but confirm me in this consoling thought.

The spiritual man grows to maturity through prayer, meditation and detachment from self and from vain interests; he finds, or he is given, a wisdom which at times the world derides. Such wisdom makes him critical of the use of violence for resolving conflicts and difficulties; it also causes him to be concerned about the outbreaks of hatred. The spiritual man is a witness to peace; he seeks to uproot everywhere the sources of bitterness which can move people to violence and conflict. Thus the spiritual man can become a resource of moral energy for all who approach him. And this type of man achieves this, we know, not by seeking human approval but through obedience and submission to God, who is above and beyond him. Our father Abraham, about whom the Bible speaks and a model for so many believers, was called a friend of God for his total obedience to him; and thus he could intercede for the peace and tranquillity of the men and women of the world.

Despite the real differences existing between religions, differences which we have often frankly recognized, we have to say that dialogue, encounter, friendship and appeals to the members of each religion to deepen their commitment to prayer are unleashing profound spiritual energies. And your meeting is a clear example of this. A new language of peace and new ways of expressing peace are being found. This new climate breaks, or at least calls into question, the fatal chain of divisions inherited from the past or generated by modern ideologies; it has inaugurated a season in which the voice of wisdom is making itself heard. And it is clear to all that the Catholic Church intends to share in and promote this season, pursuing in this regard “the ecumenical commitment and the commitment to interreligious dialogue which was recommended and promoted by the Second Vatican Council”.

While I express the hope that all of you will be builders of peace among the peoples and countries from which you come, permit me to recall the words that my predecessor, John XXIII, at the end of his life, addressed to the world as a message of peace and as a prayer to God. The concluding words of the Encyclical “Pacem in Terris” are an invocation addressed to the One who alone can evoke and strengthen the will for peace: “May he banish from the hearts of people whatever might endanger peace; may he transform them into witnesses of truth, justice and brotherly love. May he enlighten the rulers of peoples so that, in addition to their solicitude for the welfare of their citizens, they may also guarantee and defend the great gift of peace; may he enkindle the wills of all so that they may overcome the barriers which divide, cherish the bonds of mutual love, learn to understand one another and to pardon those who have done them wrong. By virtue of his action may all peoples of the earth become as brothers and sisters to one another, and may the peace they long for ever flower and ever reign among them”.



ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE JOHN PAUL II

TO H.E. Mr. BRIAN THOMAS BURKE,

THE NEW AMBASSADOR OF AUSTRALIA TO THE HOLY SEE

Monday, 31 October 1988

Mr Ambassador,


I am happy to accept from Your Excellency the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Australia to the Holy See. In offering you a warm welcome, I wish also to thank you for the cordial greetings which you have conveyed to me from the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Government and people of Australia.

I would ask you to be so kind as to reciprocate these good wishes. At the same time I assure you of my continued prayers for the harmony and prosperity of all the citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia.

It is a special joy to welcome you, Mr Ambassador, in the year when Australia is celebrating the Bicentenary of its European settlement. This historic milestone is an occasion to recall with satisfaction how successfully people from different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds have worked together over the past two centuries in building a thriving, peaceloving nation. In so far as you have pursued this path in justice and with mutual respect, you have borne witness to the truth that “peace is the fruit of just and honest relations at every level of human life, including the social, economic, cultural and ethical levels”. It is my fervent hope that this Bicentenary celebration will serve to strengthen the bonds of understanding and cooperation amongst all the ethnic groups that make up Australian society.

As Your Excellency has noted, Australia and the Holy See share many common objectives in the present context of international affairs.

The Holy See desires to collaborate fully with your country, and with all nations, in the cause of world peace, in the promotion of integral development, and in the defence of the human rights of every person, from the moment of conception until natural death.

The Church devotes herself to these efforts on behalf of the human family because they are closely linked to her primary mission in the world – the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the present moment in history, she feels obliged to make special efforts to further the cause of peace.

True peace begins in the mind and heart, in the will and soul of the human person. And it proceeds from the genuine love of God and neighbour, a practical love which makes every effort to overcome prejudices, divisions and misunderstandings.

In this task, diplomacy has a key role to play. And thus I gladly acknowledge Your Excellency’s statement that in accepting your new responsibility you will strive to work together with the Holy See to further international cooperation and fruitful dialogue among nations as the path to a more peaceful world. There is indeed an urgent need to emphasize these objectives in present circumstances. In the modern world, dialogue and international cooperation are often impeded by obstacles resulting from ideologies which generate distrust, injustice and conflict.

In the face of these difficulties, we have to move beyond conflicting ideologies and find common ground for dialogue. We must find ways to rebuild trust and thus make possible an ever more effective and fruitful collaboration among all men and women of good will.

Mr Ambassador, I hope that your diplomatic mission will further the good relations already existing between Australia and the Holy See. I assure you of the assistance of the Holy See’s different departments in the fulfilment of your responsibilities. May God grant you wisdom and strength, and I invoke God’s abundant blessings upon you and your family, and upon all the beloved people of Australia.

                                                        November 1988


Speeches 1988 - TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF AN INTERFAITH MEETING