He went on to say that “These truths cannot be attained without profound consequences for the way we live our lives”, and told “all those responsible for the life of Nations…: if you do not fear truth, you need not fear freedom!”
“The Holy See, in calling for true freedom for the Catholic Church everywhere, also calls for that freedom for everyone,” he said.
The Pope‘s third point was that “commitment to truth opens the way to forgiveness and reconciliation.“
“Differing convictions about the truth”, he said, “cause tensions, misunderstandings, disputes, and these are all the more serious the deeper the convictions underlying them.”
He said specifically that "Asking for forgiveness, and granting forgiveness, which is likewise an obligation ... are indispensable elements for peace.”
On this, he cited the words of his successor, John Paul II: “There can be no peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness.”
“I repeat these words,” he said, “humbly and with deep love, to the leaders of nations, especially those where the physical and moral wounds of conflicts are most painful, and the need for peace most urgent.”
Benedict’s final point was that “commitment to peace opens up new hopes.”
He called this “the logical conclusion of everything that I have been saying. Man is capable of knowing the truth!”
The peace, to which man “can and must be committed,” he stressed, “is not merely the silence of arms; it is, much more, a peace which can encourage new energies within international relations which in turn become a means of maintaining peace.”
“…this will be the case”, the Pope said, “only if they correspond to the truth about man and his dignity. Consequently one cannot speak of peace in situations where human beings are lacking even the basic necessities for living with dignity.”
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
To read full text of Pope message:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=101