It is with great joy that I greet leaders of faith communities gathered in Assisi at the invitation of His Holiness John Paul II. I am very sad that I cannot be with you particularly as religious leaders have a major contribution to make towards to peace and reconciliation in our increasingly unstable and dangerous world.

In the last months we have learnt again how great is our need of each other. We have experienced violence, warfare and hatred, and we have seen how the wrongs of one generation can be re-enacted in their children and their grandchildren. We need God’s grace to reach out with a generosity that is more than human, and to release ourselves and our neighbours from the shackles of the past. This is not a quick or a painless path. Where people have learned to be hostile and suspicious it will take much to build friendship and trust. Jesus Christ, the inspiring leader of all Christians, taught us that those who mourn are blessed, for they shall be comforted. He taught that those who are merciful are blessed, for mercy shall be shown to them, and that those who make peace are blessed, for they shall be called the children of God. We are called to persevere in hope, and not to lose heart.

Religious bodies, and we as religious leaders, have a most sensitive and difficult task to undertake. In spite of our imperfections, we witness to the goodness of God. We seek to speak words of truth, of love and of forgiveness, holding fast to that which is good. We recognise that our traditions can be misused to set people apart, rather than bringing them together. At times we have sometimes defined ourselves by what divides us, rather than what we share. We acknowledge that we have misunderstood and hurt one another, so we must build our peace on our need to accept forgiveness as well as to offer it.

However, our concerns must be practical as well as prayerful and prophetic. We cannot proclaim liberty to captives without also releasing those who are poor from crippling debt. If we are to live in harmony with our neighbours, that means that we must feed those who are hungry, and give medical care to those who are ill. If we know ourselves to be members of one human family we must share the good things that some of us have with the many who do not have them. We must do these things in a way that honours all people, respecting their human dignity, and enabling them to participate in the economic and political life of the world.

Brothers and sisters, even though I am not with you your meeting will be very much in my thoughts and prayers. This day is a new stage in our journey, a sign of our commitment to one another, and to God who leads us forward together.