Mr. President of the Republic, Honourable Giorgio Napolitano,

Your Holiness,

Beatitudes,

Distinguished Representatives of the Christian Churches and Communities, and of the Great World Religions,

Ambassadors,

Friends all,

As this day comes to an end, in this wonderful square, at the end of our meetings on peace for a world without violence, in dialogue with religions and cultures, our hearts sing a symphony of thanks to God for the gifts given and received.

In this meaningful event we have given new strength to the hopes of dialogue. These hopes open new paths of universal brotherhood and issue a challenge to contemporary men and women, to hold on to meekness, goodness and friendship as their shield. We have prayed together, together we have walked on a path which is respectful of the differences and uniqueness of everyone, a path that has enriched us all with every single story, with the diverse passions for life, faith and love for a definitively pacified humanity.

As Christians it is Jesus, our Lord, the Master of Galilee, who drives us to accomplish peace. He lay down his life for peace to triumph and dialogue to be the motor of humanity renewed. The message that stems from the Gospel gives us hope that one day every man and every woman, with his or her own specific difference, will be welcomed as a brother or a sister, as a living stone of history, as a proclamation of belonging: no more as a stranger or an enemy, but as a brother among brothers.

This meeting originates from the beatitude of the meek, from the strength of dialogue, from the titanic courage of non violence. And the Church of Naples feels today that this beatitude dwells in many men and women of good will and that peace is possible because it is the universal heritage of a new humankind, with no barriers of race, religion and culture; it is the only hope for a new heaven and a new earth.

Being and acting as peacemakers does not mean to be weak, to flee from the fight, nor does it mean to accept prepotence and arrogance. On the contrary, it means to choose different weapons to fight against injustice and every form of violence; it means to choose another strategy to build human relationships; it means to create new words with the nuances of peace and to place one�s own destiny deep into the soil of dialogue.

It is what we tried to do and build in this meeting here in Naples, the land of sun and sea, here in our Diocese, open to the future of the people around the Mediterranean Sea.

Our commitment is first of all to tenaciously fight the resistance that resides in the human heart. During these days of intense study and prayer, we have understood that peace is much more than a linguistic or philosophic invention.

Peace is to eradicate the roots of evil that spread through our cities and countries. It is an effort to overcome arrogance while choosing the passion, strength and warmth of love.

We have been the protagonists of these intense days. Now is the time to give thanks: Naples, its people and its Institutions thank you. The Church of Naples thanks all the civil authorities gathered here this evening, especially our dear President of the Republic of Italy, Honourable Giorgio Napolitano; it thanks the religious Authorities and especially His Holiness Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople.

I heartily thank the worthy and much esteemed Community of Sant�Egidio, and its founder Professor Andrea Riccardi. Dear friends, the Apostolic Church of Naples, rich in history and further enriched by your own histories, thanks you all, for this evening will surely remain embedded in the heart of our land as an evening of hope, a wish of good will for the painful wounds of our time and for those of this world that waits for redemption.

While thanking you all, the Church of Naples wishes to make the solemn promise that this day shall remain a solemn commitment.

We commit ourselves to preventing this desire of dialogue, necessary for the construction of a new world of justice and peace, from being forgotten. This is our promise, and it is fulfilled even today in our intention to establish here in Naples a Forum, to study and research much needed paths of dialogue and peace for our city, for the Mediterranean Sea, and for all those different and fascinating people who dwell on the �Mare nostrum�.

Today, therefore, we commit ourselves to work for the establishment of a permanent structure of interfaith and intercultural dialogue, to open the doors of Naples to the differences of human beings, and those differences to the richness of Naples. In our heart we have one single wish, to see Naples become the Mediterranean capital of dialogue. This is our dream!

From Assisi, the spirit of Naples will continue to be a leaven of peace and brotherhood for everyone.

I am profoundly grateful that you have chosen Naples for this meeting and for having lived here, even only for a few days, as if it were your home.

Naples will always be yours, whenever you will look for it, and though you may be far from this city, whenever you want, lift up your eyes to look at your sky, and you shall remember ours.

Blessed be the meek for they will inherit the earth; blessed are you, who love heaven and earth; blessed are all those who work for justice and for peace.