"HATRED, FANATICISM AND TERRORISM PROFANE THE NAME OF GOD"

VATICAN CITY, SEP 24, 2001 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. today, local time, the Pope met representatives of the world of culture, art and science in Astana's Palace of Congresses.

In his address in Russian, the Holy Father highlighted once again that "Kazakhstan is heir to a history in which complex and often sorrowful events have given rise to diverse traditions, so that today it stands as a unique example of a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious society. ... Kazakhstan is a vast country which down the centuries has given rise to a vibrant culture, rich in creative developments, thanks also to the influence of Russian intellectuals confined here by the totalitarian regime." He told the dignitaries they "are called to acquaint the world with Kazakhstan's rich cultural tradition: this is a demanding undertaking, and yet an attractive one."

"The human heart," noted the Pope, "asks questions which will not go away; when these questions are ignored, man becomes not freer but weaker, often ending up at the mercy of his own instincts, to say nothing of the aggression of others." He said that often the questions man asks are "religious by their very nature, in the sense that they appeal to those supreme values which have God as their ultimate foundation. Religion, for its part, cannot fail to grapple with these existential questions; otherwise it loses contact with life."

"Consequently - even in the context of a soundly secular State, which is obliged in any event to guarantee to each citizen, without distinction of sex, race and nationality, the fundamental right to freedom of conscience - there is a need to acknowledge and defend the right of believers to bear public witness to their faith. Authentic religious practice cannot be reduced to the private sphere or narrowly restricted to the edges of society."

"In this context," John Paul II concluded, "and precisely here in this land of encounters and dialogue, and before this distinguished audience, I wish to reaffirm the Catholic Church's respect for Islam, for authentic Islam: the Islam that prays, that is concerned for those in need. Recalling the errors of the past, including the most recent past, all believers ought to unite their efforts to ensure that God is never made the hostage of human ambitions. Hatred, fanaticism and terrorism profane the name of God and disfigure the true image of man."

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