VATICAN CITY, DEC 14, 2000 (VIS) - "Dialogue between Cultures for a Civilization of Love and Peace" is the title of Pope John Paul II's Message for the 34th World Day of Peace which will be celebrated on January 1, 2001. The Message, dated December 8 and made public today, is written in Italian, Spanish, French, English, Polish and Portuguese. It is 25 pages long and divided into 14 sections. Excerpts from the document are given below:
"At the dawn of a new millennium, there is growing hope that relationships between people will be increasingly inspired by the ideal of a truly universal brotherhood. Unless this ideal is shared, there will be no way to ensure a stable peace."
"At the same time, however, it cannot be denied that thick clouds overshadow these bright hopes."
"I therefore consider it urgent to invite believers in Christ, together with all men and women of good will, to reflect on the theme of dialogue between cultures and traditions. ... I do not believe that there can be easy or readily applicable solutions to a problem like this. ... But for this very reason I see the usefulness of a shared reflection on these issues."
"MANKIND AND ITS DIFFERENT CULTURES. ... Culture is the form of man's self-expression in his journey through history, on the level of both individuals and social groups. ... In most cases, a culture develops in a specific place, where geographical, historical and ethnic elements combine in an original and unique way. The 'uniqueness' of each culture is reflected more or less clearly in those individuals who are its bearers. ... In any event, a person necessarily lives within a specific culture."
"HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND BEING PART OF A CULTURE. ... It is on the basis of this essential relationship with one's own 'origins' ' on the level of the family, but also of territory, society and culture ' that people acquire a sense of their nationality, and culture tends to take on, to a greater or lesser degree in different places, a 'national' configuration. ... Moreover, when cultures are carefully and rigorously studied, they very often reveal beneath their outward variations significant common elements. ... Cultural diversity should therefore be understood within the broader horizon of the unity of the human race."
"CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND MUTUAL RESPECT. ... The authenticity of each human culture, the soundness of its underlying ethos, and hence the validity of its moral bearings, can be measured to an extent by its commitment to the human cause and by its capacity to promote human dignity at every level and in every circumstance. The radicalization of identity which makes cultures resistant to any beneficial influence from outside is worrying enough; but no less perilous is the slavish conformity of cultures, or at least of key aspects of them, to cultural models deriving from the Western world. Detached from their Christian origins, these models are often inspired by an approach to life marked by secularism and practical atheism and by patterns of radical individualism. This is a phenomenon of vast proportions, sustained by powerful media campaigns and designed to propagate lifestyles, social and economic programs and, in the last analysis, a comprehensive world-view which erodes from within other estimable cultures and civilizations. Western cultural models are enticing and alluring because of their remarkable scientific and technical cast, but regrettably there is growing evidence of their deepening human, spiritual and moral impoverishment."
"DIALOGUE BETWEEN CULTURES. ... Dialogue between cultures ... emerges as an intrinsic demand of human nature itself, as well as of culture. It is dialogue which protects the distinctiveness of cultures as historical and creative expressions of the underlying unity of the human family, and which sustains understanding and communion between them."
"POSSIBILITIES AND RISKS OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATION. ... Ours is an era of global communication, which is shaping society along the lines of new cultural models. ... The free flow of images and speech ... is transforming ... relations between peoples. ... The fact that a few countries have a monopoly on these cultural 'industries' and distribute their products to an ever growing public in every corner of the earth can be a powerful factor in undermining cultural distinctness."
"THE CHALLENGE OF MIGRATION. A style and culture of dialogue are especially important when it comes to the complex question of migration. ... In the case of many civilizations, immigration has brought new growth and enrichment. In other cases, the local people and immigrants have remained culturally separate but have shown that they are able to live together. ... It is important to remember the principle that immigrants must always be treated with the respect due to the dignity of every human person."
"RESPECT FOR CULTURES AND THE 'CULTURAL PROFILE' OF DIFFERENT REGIONS. It is a much more difficult thing to determine the extent to which immigrants are entitled to public legal recognition of the particular customs of their culture, which may not be readily compatible with the customs of the majority of citizens. ... Much depends upon whether people embrace a spirit of openness that, without yielding to indifference about values, can combine the concern for identity with the willingness to engage in dialogue. ... In the dialogue between cultures, no side can be prevented from proposing to the other the values in which it believes, as long as this is done in way that is respectful of people's freedom and conscience. 'Truth can be imposed only with the force of truth itself, which penetrates the mind both gently and powerfully'."
"THE RECOGNITION OF SHARED VALUES. Dialogue between cultures ... is based upon the recognition that there are values which are common to all cultures because they are rooted in the nature of the person. ... Leaving aside ideological prejudices and selfish interests, it is necessary to foster people's awareness of these shared values, in order to nurture that intrinsically universal cultural 'soil' which makes for fruitful and constructive dialogue."
"THE VALUE OF SOLIDARITY. The promotion of justice is at the heart of a true culture of solidarity. It is not just a question of giving one's surplus to those in need, but of 'helping entire peoples presently excluded or marginalized to enter into the sphere of economic and human development'."
"THE VALUE OF PEACE. The alarming increase of arms, together with the halting progress of commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, runs the risk of feeding and expanding a culture of competition and conflict, a culture involving not only States but also non-institutional entities, such as paramilitary groups and terrorist organizations. ... And what can be said about the permanent risk of conflicts between nations, of civil wars within some States and of widespread violence, before which international organizations and national governments appear almost impotent? Faced with such threats, everyone must feel the moral duty to take concrete and timely steps to promote the cause of peace and understanding among peoples."
"THE VALUE OF LIFE. ... Human life cannot be seen as an object to do with as we please, but as the most sacred and inviolable earthly reality. There can be no peace when this most basic good is not protected. It is not possible to invoke peace and despise life. Our own times have seen shining examples of generosity and dedication in the service of life, but also the sad sight of hundreds of millions of men and women whom cruelty and indifference have consigned to a painful and harsh destiny. I am speaking of a tragic spiral of death which includes murder, suicide, abortion, euthanasia, as well as practices of mutilation, physical and psychological torture, forms of unjust coercion, arbitrary imprisonment, unnecessary recourse to the death penalty, deportations, slavery, prostitution, trafficking in women and children. To this list we must add irresponsible practices of genetic engineering, such as the cloning and use of human embryos for research, which are justified by an illegitimate appeal to freedom, to cultural progress, to the advancement of mankind."
"THE VALUE OF EDUCATION. Education has a particular role to play in building a more united and peaceful world. It can help to affirm that integral humanism, open to life's ethical and religious dimension, which appreciates the importance of understanding and showing esteem for other cultures and the spiritual values present in them.
"FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION. During the Great Jubilee, two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, the Church has had a powerful experience of the challenging call to reconciliation. ... Mindful of the significant Jubilee experience of the purification of memory, I wish to make a specific appeal to Christians to become witnesses to and missionaries of forgiveness and reconciliation."
"AN APPEAL TO YOUNG PEOPLE. I wish to conclude this Message of peace with a special appeal to you, young people of the whole world, who are humanity's future and living stones in the building of the civilization of love. I treasure in my heart the memory of ... the recent World Youth Day in Rome. ... Feeling your closeness to me, I sensed a profound gratitude to the Lord who gave me the grace of contemplating ... the miracle of the universality of the Church, of her catholicity, of her unity. ... Dear young people of every language and culture, a high and exhilarating task awaits you: that of becoming men and women capable of solidarity, peace and love of life, with respect for everyone. Become craftsmen of a new humanity, where brothers and sisters ' members all of the same family ' are able at last to live in peace."
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