TO RELIGIOUS LEADERS: "I COME AS A PILGRIM OF PEACE"

VATICAN CITY, NOV 7, 1999 (VIS) - This afternoon at 5, the Holy Father held an encounter with leaders and representatives of other religions and other Christian confessions at the Vigyan Bhawan, a conference center in New Delhi whose name means "palace of science." Later this evening the Vigyan Bhawan will host events for the start of the three-day Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali.

"I come as a pilgrim of peace," the Pope told the assembly. "On the occasion of Diwali, ... I express the hope that this meeting will speak to the world of the things which unite us all. ... My presence among you is meant as a further sign that the Catholic Church wants to enter ever more deeply into dialogue with the religions of the world." He went on: "It is a sign of hope that the religions of the world are becoming more aware of their shared responsibilities for the well-being of the human family. This is a crucial part of the globalization of solidarity."

"The path before us is demanding, and there is always the temptation to choose instead the path of isolation and division, which leads to conflict. This in turn unleashes the forces which make religion an excuse for violence." Repeating what he told a recent inter-religious assembly in Rome, the Pope affirmed: "Religion is not, and must not become, a pretext for conflict. ... Religion and peace go together: to wage war in the name of religion is a blatant contradiction."

He then highlighted the essence of dialogue, saying it "is never an attempt to impose our own views upon others. ... What it means is that, holding firmly to what we believe, we listen respectfully to others, seeking to discern all that is good and holy, all that favors peace and cooperation."

Pope John Paul closed by stressing that "one of the principal demands of freedom is the free exercise of religion in society. No State, no group has the right to control either directly or indirectly a person's religious convictions, nor can it justifiably claim the right to impose or impede the public profession and practice of religion."

PV-INDIA;INTERRELIGIOUS MEETING;...;NEW DELHI;VIS;19991108;Word: 360;