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ASSISI-POPE Sep-5-2006 (570 words) xxxi
Pope: Interreligious prayer meetings are needed even more today
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
ASSISI, Italy (CNS) -- On the 20th anniversary of the first interreligious prayer meeting in Assisi, Pope Benedict XVI said the initiative had been a "prophetic" way for various faiths to witness against conflict and war.
The pope said such gatherings were needed even more today, when younger generations of all faiths must learn that prayer "does not divide, but unites" and that religion must never be used as an excuse for violence.
The pope made his comments in a message Sept. 4 to the 20th Interreligious Prayer Meeting for Peace in Assisi, Italy. Sponsored by the Sant'Egidio Community, the two-day encounter brought together more than 150 representatives of various world religions.
The pope's message offered a strong endorsement of the interfaith meetings that began in Assisi in 1986, surprising some observers. Vittorio Messori, a well-known Italian Catholic writer, had reported that as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope had strong doubts about the 1986 meeting and felt it emphasized spectacle over faith.
But in his message, Pope Benedict said Pope John Paul II had correctly perceived the value of having leaders of different faiths gather to send a message that true religion builds bridges and has nothing to do with violence.
"His invitation for a choral witness to peace served to clarify, without any possibility of misunderstanding, that religion can only be a source of peace," he said.
The 1986 meeting and those that followed have also highlighted the importance of prayer in changing human hearts and helping to clear the often difficult path to peace, the pope said.
"We need this 'education to peace' more than ever, especially looking at the new generations," the pope said.
"Many young people in areas of the world marked by conflict are educated in sentiments of hatred and vengeance, in ideological contexts that cultivate the seeds of ancient animosities and prepare hearts for future violence," he said.
The pope addressed bluntly the accusation, aired in some conservative church circles, that the Assisi meeting represented an injudicious blending of different faith elements and prayer expressions.
He noted that 20 years ago Pope John Paul emphasized that the religious leaders had not come together to seek a religious consensus or "negotiate" their faith convictions. Pope Benedict said the policy chosen in 1986, which continues today, is for the various religions to pray in their own distinct way even as they gather to witness in the same place. In this way, confusion is avoided, he said.
"The convergence of diverse representatives should not give the impression of a concession to that relativism which negates the very meaning of truth and the possibility of taking it in," he said.
The pope also offered a historical perspective on the 20 years that have followed the first interreligious prayer meeting. He said the fall of European communism and the promise of a more cooperative globalized economy generated hope for a new era of peace.
"Unfortunately, this dream of peace did not come true. On the contrary, the third millennium opened with scenarios of terrorism and violence that show no sign of dissolving," he said.
He said the fact that many conflicts today occur along regional geopolitical fault lines may give the impression that religious differences themselves constitute elements of instability or a threat to peace.
That only gives added relevance to the interreligious prayer meetings for peace, he said.
END
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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