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Faiths and Cultures within Conflict and Dialogue	International Meeting Peoples and Religions Palermo 1-3 september 2002
Comunit� di Sant'Egidio	Arcidiocesi di Palermo

PROCLAMATION
OF THE PEACE APPEAL

  

As pilgrims we have gathered in Palermo to invoke God�s great gift of peace, at the beginning of this new millennium. We are men and women of different religions coming from several parts of the world, united by a common longing for peace among all peoples.

This new century has been marked from the very beginning by violence. Many men and women, fearing the future, have become resigned and pessimistic. We, as men and women of religion in search of peace, are aware of the huge potential of evil that is enshrined in our world. It is easy to be swept into violence, into a clash of some people against others, into an opposition of one world against another, into a clash of different religions and cultures.

We have been touched by the mountains of suffering and by the cries, sometimes in silence, of millions of poor people, with no water, no medicine, no safety, no food, no freedom, no land and no fundamental human rights. We are aware of the risks of a daily life marked by fear and suspicion towards others: the pain of the world urges us to search together, believers and non-believers, for paths of peace and solidarity.

The whole world needs hope. The hope to be able to live with others, the hope not to be dominated by the memory of the wrongs we suffered, the hope to build a world in which everybody can live with dignity. Globalisation cannot just mean the free movement of goods, it must also signify the globalisation of solidarity, dialogue, justice and security for everybody .

We have also questioned ourselves about our responsibilities as men and women of religion. We do not want to give in to the temptation of pessimism that leads so many to close in themselves. In these times we feel even more urgently the need to pursue with great resolution the path of dialogue. It�s the only way to overcome division and conflicts. It�s the only way not to leave the world at the mercy of a faceless globalisation that inevitably becomes cruel. Dialogue does not leave us helpless, rather it protects us. It does not weaken us, but rather reinforces us. It encourages every person to see the best in others and to strengthen the best part of oneself. Dialogue can turn a stranger into a friend and may free us from the demon of violence. Nothing is ever lost by pursuing dialogue. Dialogue is the medicine that heals deeply and frees us from the pathology of memory, opening up for us the doors of the future. We ask God to spread the art of dialogue and of co-existence in the world. The whole world is in need of them. It is not conflict that will save us.

We know that there are those who invoke God�s name to justify hatred and violence. Therefore, even more solemnly than yesterday, we state: religions should never justify hatred and violence, God�s name is peace. Nobody should invoke God�s name to bless his own war. Only peace worships God. The worship of hatred generates violence and humiliates hope.

To those who kill and wage war in the name of God we say: �Stop! Do not kill! Violence is a defeat for everybody! Let us discuss together and God will illuminate us all!�. To those who trample on men and women and the planet we say: �In God�s name, respect creation and all creatures! Their life is our future and our hope.

Gathered together in Palermo, in the heart of the Mediterranean, as humble pilgrims for peace, we want to say to the entire world that no conflict, no hatred, no resentment can resist prayer, forgiveness and love. Therefore we ask for forgiveness and we forgive, so that God may turn mistrust and fear into trust and friendship.

May God grant our century the wonderful gift of peace.