00:00Dear brothers and sisters, you are in Assisi 40 years after the day of prayer for peace on the 27th.
00:10October 1986.
00:13That advent was desired by Saint John Paul II, who underlined on that occasion the intrinsic bond that unites a
00:27authentic religious attitude with a lively sensitivity for peace.
00:33I extend my warmest greetings to the patriarchs and religious leaders, many of whom have participated over the years
00:44actively participated in the various days of prayer and dialogue that followed.
00:51I affectionately greet Monsignor Felicia Crocca, pastor of the Church in Susana, the Franciscan families and all those present.
01:03I would have liked to be with you at the tomb of St. Francis on this important anniversary to see your faces.
01:15and together give a beautiful testimony that living as brothers and sisters is already possible.
01:24I thank the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Sant'Egidio community for having undertaken this path with commitment.
01:35traced by my predecessors.
01:38I am consoled by the long and faithful journey I have made over the years, which has borne much fruit.
01:45Pope Francis said, regarding that unforgettable day in October 1986,
01:56it could not and should not remain an isolated event.
02:02You have continued on this path and increased its momentum.
02:08Indeed, Saint John Paul II, after that first historic meeting, invited us to continue living the spirit of Assisi.
02:20It was then the time of the Cold War, a very different scenario from today.
02:27After 1989, many argued that globalization would ensure a stable peace in the world.
02:42Unfortunately, as I wrote in Magnifica Humanitas,
02:46the ability to produce well-being, democracy and stability has been entrusted almost blindly to the markets,
02:55while in reality globalization has not automatically generated unity and peace,
03:04but it has provoked fundamentalist, identitarian and nationalist reactions.
03:14In this context, a worrying rehabilitation of war as an instrument of international politics has taken place.
03:25Thus betraying the memory of the twentieth century and the useless slaughter of millions of human lives,
03:34again, as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
03:39The accumulation of weapons seems to many to be a paradoxical way of dissuading potential adversaries from war.
03:51They see it as the most effective means of ensuring peace between nations.
04:01Precisely in these times of culture of power there is a need to foster the spirit of Assisi,
04:11which is a rejection of the religious legitimacy of war,
04:17spirit of mediation and dialogue,
04:21contemplative experience and creative action for a peaceful future.
04:27Yes, because peace must return to being the common ideal of peoples,
04:35the star that guides our every choice,
04:38the criterion that unmasks injustice, the common horizon of all peoples.
04:47We must rebuild peace everywhere,
04:51don't prepare other wars.
04:54War can never be waged in the name of God.
04:58For us believers, fighting in the name of religion
05:02it actually means attacking religion itself.
05:08There is no holy war,
05:11only peace is holy.
05:15For this reason, the path started from Assisi
05:18in the common search for peace
05:21it is first of all the path of prayer.
05:26Prayer may seem weak in the face of the powers of the world,
05:32but it is the humble strength of believers.
05:37We turn to God who gives peace,
05:41touch the hearts of those who want war and terrorism.
05:46And let's not forget,
05:48one never prays in vain.
05:51Prayer is a school of dialogue with God,
05:55with people and with all creatures.
06:00Let us think of Saint Francis,
06:02of which we celebrated the eighth centenary of his death.
06:07The world needs dialogue.
06:10The Assisi journey engages religious leaders
06:14to increase the climate of dialogue
06:17among the faithful and in society,
06:20because of the language of arrogance
06:23let the one of peace be replaced,
06:27of the negotiation,
06:29of understanding.
06:31This will gradually push away
06:34humanity from the spiral of violence.
06:40Brothers and sisters,
06:42may our prayers be granted to God
06:45the desired peace for all the countries of the world.
06:50May He make us
06:51unarmed instruments of his peace.
06:56Blessed are the peacemakers,
06:59for they will be called children of God.
07:08Thank you all.
