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DUBROOM
ARTICLE SECTION |
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| The
Pope: "NEW WORLD ORDER" |
| Code:
ZE03060222
Date: 2003-06-02
John Paul II's Address to New Israeli
Ambassador to the Vatican
Calls for 2 Sovereign States in Holy
Land
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VATICAN CITY, JUNE 2, 2003 (Zenit.org).-
Here is the address John Paul II delivered today
when receiving the letters of credence of Oded
Ben-Hur, the new Israeli ambassador to the Holy
See.
* * *
Mr Ambassador,
I am pleased to welcome you to the Vatican and to
accept the Letters of Credence appointing you
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
the State of Israel to the Holy See. Your presence
here today is a testimony to our common desire to
work together to build a world of peace and
security, not only in Israel and the Middle East,
but in every part of the globe, for all peoples
everywhere. This is a task which we undertake not
alone but with the whole international community:
indeed, perhaps unlike any time in the past, the
entire human family today feels the urgent need to
overcome violence and terror, to expunge
intolerance and fanaticism, to usher in an era of
justice, reconciliation and harmony among
individuals, groups and nations.
This need is probably nowhere more acutely felt
than in the Holy Land. There is absolutely no
question that peoples and nations have the
inherent right to live in security. This right,
however, entails a corresponding duty: to respect
the right of others. Therefore, just as violence
and terror can never be an acceptable means for
making political statements, neither can
retaliation ever lead to a just and lasting peace.
Acts of terrorism are always to be condemned as
true crimes against humanity (cf. Message for the
2002 World Day of Peace, 4). Every State has the
undeniable right to defend itself against
terrorism, but this right must always be exercised
with respect for moral and legal limits in its
ends and means (cf. ibid., 5).
Like other members of the international community,
and fully supporting the role and efforts of the
larger family of nations in helping to resolve the
crisis in the Middle East, the Holy See is
convinced that the present conflict will be
resolved only when there are two independent and
sovereign States. As I said earlier this year to
the Diplomatic Corps: "Two peoples, Israeli
and Palestinian, are called to live side-by-side,
equally free and sovereign, in mutual
respect" (Speech to the Diplomatic Corps
accredited to the Holy See, 13 January 2003, 4).
It is essential that both parties give clear signs
of their determined commitment to bring this
peaceful coexistence about. By doing so, a
priceless contribution will be made towards the
building of a relationship of mutual trust and
cooperation. In this context, I am pleased to note
the Israeli Government's recent vote in support of
the peace process: for all involved in that
process, the Government's position is a positive
sign of hope and encouragement.
Of course, the many issues and difficulties raised
by this crisis must be dealt with in a fair and
effective manner. Questions concerning Palestinian
refugees and Israeli settlements, for example, or
the problem of setting territorial boundaries and
defining the status of the most sacred places of
the City of Jerusalem, need to be the subject of
open dialogue and sincere negotiation. By no means
should a decision be made unilaterally. Rather,
respect, mutual understanding and solidarity
demand that the path of dialogue never be
abandoned. Nor should real or apparent failures
lead the partners in dialogue and negotiation to
be discouraged. On the contrary, it is precisely
in such circumstances that "it is all the
more necessary that they should consent to begin
again ceaselessly to propose true dialogue, by
removing obstacles and by eliminating the defects
of dialogue". In this way, they will walk
together the path "which leads to peace, with
all its demands and conditions" (Message for
the 1983 World Day of Peace, 5).
Mr Ambassador, as you have noted, it was ten years
ago that the Fundamental Agreement between the
Holy See and the State of Israel was signed. It is
this Agreement that paved the way for the
subsequent establishment of full diplomatic
relations between us and which continues to guide
us in our dialogue and mutual exchange of
positions regarding many issues of importance to
both of us. The fact that we have been able to
reach an accord on the full recognition of the
legal personality of the Church's institutions is
a source of satisfaction, and I am pleased that an
accord also appears close at hand regarding
related fiscal and economic matters. Along these
same lines, I am confident that we shall be
successful in drawing up useful guidelines for
future cultural exchanges between us as well.
I would further express the fervent hope that this
climate of cooperation and friendship will allow
us to deal effectively with other difficulties
that the Catholic faithful in the Holy Land face
on a daily basis. Many of these problems, such as
access to Christian shrines and holy sites, the
isolation and suffering of Christian communities,
the dwindling of the Christian population due to
emigration, are in some way connected to the
current conflict, but that should not discourage
us from seeking possible remedies now, from
working now to meet these challenges. I am
confident that the Catholic Church will be able to
continue to promote good will among peoples and to
advance the dignity of the human person in her
schools and educational programs, and through her
charitable and social institutions. Overcoming the
difficulties mentioned above will serve not only
to enhance the contribution that the Catholic
Church makes to Israeli society, but will also
strengthen the guarantees of religious freedom in
your country. This in turn will reinforce the
feelings of equality between citizens, and each
individual, inspired by his own spiritual
convictions, will thus be better enabled to build
up society as a common home shared by all.
Three years ago, during my Jubilee Year pilgrimage
to the Holy Land, I remarked that "real peace
in the Middle East will come only as a result of
mutual understanding and respect between all the
peoples of the region: Jews, Christians and
Muslims. In this perspective, my pilgrimage is a
pilgrimage of hope: the hope that the 21st century
will lead to a new solidarity among the peoples of
the world, in the conviction that development,
justice and peace will not be attained unless they
are attained by all" (Visit to Israeli
President Ezer Weizman, 23 March 2000). It is
precisely this hope and this concept of solidarity
that must ever inspire all men and women -- in the
Holy Land and elsewhere -- in working for a new
world order based on harmonious
relations and effective cooperation between
peoples. This is mankind's task for the new
millennium, this is the only way to ensure a
future of promise and light for all.
Your Excellency, I ask you kindly to convey to the
President, Prime Minister, Government and People
of the State of Israel the assurance of my prayers
for the nation, especially at this critical moment
in its history. I am certain that your term of
service as representative to the Holy See will do
much to strengthen the bonds of understanding and
friendship between us. Wishing you every success
in your mission, and assuring you of the full
cooperation of the various offices of the Roman
Curia in the fulfillment of your high duties, I
cordially invoke upon you, your fellow citizens
and all the peoples of the Holy Land an abundance
of divine blessings.
[Original text: English]
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