VATICAN CITY, SEP 11, 1999 (VIS) - Today at Castelgandolfo, Pope John Paul received the Letters of Credence of Toru Iwanami, Japan's new ambassador to the Holy See.
He began his French-language discourse by recalling that Japan this year is celebrating the 450th anniversary of the arrival of St. Francis Xavier, patron of missions, who "contributed to building bridges and creating fraternal relations between the East and West. The life and work of St. Francis Xavier also reminds us of the importance of spiritual and religious freedoms which ... are the indispensable conditions for the building of a nation, as well as for collaboration and friendship among peoples." And the Pope lauded "the attitude of tolerance in Japan, which remains attached to its traditions of openness to different religions."
"One cannot forget," the Holy Father went on, "that your country is one of the symbols of peace, ... because the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are for all men today a message, inviting all peoples ... to commit themselves more resolutely in favor of peace. Indeed, they evoke for our contemporaries all the crimes committed during the Second World War against civil populations. ... In order not to forget past atrocities, it is important to teach the young generations the incomparable value of peace among individuals and peoples, for the culture of peace is contagious."
Then, turning to the Church in Japan, the Pope stated that "though small in number, Catholics are called to take an active part in the public life of Japanese society, ... to participate in its evolution and transformation, so that it will always be at the service of people." He highlighted the Church's long tradition of activity in Japan, "especially in the educational domain," as well as her "care to transmit to young generations a civic sense in addition to the spiritual and moral values needed for their personal life and their insertion into society."
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