Vatican City, Apr 30, 2012 / 10:43 am
Pope Benedict XVI says that forgiveness is the key to creating harmony between peoples and nations.
“Forgiveness is not a denial of wrong-doing, but a participation in the healing and transforming love of God which reconciles and restores,” Pope Benedict said April 30.
“Historic wrongs and injustices can only be overcome if men and women are inspired by a message of healing and hope, a message that offers a way forward, out of the impasse that so often locks people and nations into a vicious circle of violence.”
The Pope made his comments in a message to Professor Mary Ann Glendon, the President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, which was made public on April 30. The academy is holding its April 27 – May 1 full assembly in Rome to explore the legacy and lessons of Pope John XXIII’s 1963 encyclical “Pacem in Terris” (Peace on Earth).
“While the global political landscape has changed significantly in the intervening half-century,” Pope Benedict noted, “the vision offered by Pope John still has much to teach us as we struggle to face the new challenges for peace and justice in the post-Cold-War era.”