CARDINAL BERTONE AWARDED JOHN PAUL II PEACE PRIZE

VATICAN CITY, 6 DEC 2011 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has been awarded the John Paul II peace prize, which is granted by the cultural association "Anassilaos", based in the Italian city of Reggio Calabria.

  In his acceptance speech, the cardinal recalled how John Paul II's Encyclical "Redemptoris hominis" identified "respect for human rights as the best way to ensure peace among peoples". Benedict XVI likewise, "by emphasising the universal values shared by religious, cultures and schools of thought", has "identified the foundation of peace in an absolute value: truth".

  For this reason, Cardinal Bertone continued, "the current Pontiff never ceases to remind Christians of the centrality of Jesus Who, breaking down the walls that separate us, shows us the real possibility ... of commitment to universal peace".

  The secretary of State also dwelt on John Paul II's "concrete gestures for peace", such as his concern for human rights, his trips to conflict zones, his initiatives in the international community and the inter-religious meetings he promoted in Assisi.
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