Vatican City, Jun 9, 2011 / 22:55 pm
Pope Benedict XVI told Syria's ambassador to the Holy See that the country's troubled government should respect citizens' desires for reform, and accept guidance from the international community.
“The events of the past months in some nearby Mediterranean countries, Syria among them, demonstrate the desire for a better future in the areas of political, economic, and social life,” the Pope noted in a letter that he gave to Syrian ambassador Hussan Edin Aala on June 9.
“It is greatly desirable, that this evolution not take place in a climate of intolerance, discrimination, or conflict and, sill less, of violence,” the Pope wrote, “but rather in a climate of absolute respect for the truth, for co-existence, for the legitimate rights of the person and the collective, and of reconciliation.”
“These are the principles that should guide the authorities, keeping always in mind the aspiration of civil society and international directives.”