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Benedict XVI: Indifference Is Damaging Force

June 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Benedict XVI is again emphasizing his April message to the United Nations, saying that indifference is what does real damage on the international scene.The Pope said this today, calling for peace between all peoples, at the end of his two-day visit to Italy’s “heel,” the southeastern region of Apulia.

He prayed the midday Angelus in the port city of Brindisi. In his address before the prayer, the Bishop of Rome offered “a Christian message of cooperation and of peace between all peoples, especially between those nations who crown this sea, ancient cradle of civilization, and those of the Near and Middle East.”

“The action of the international community and its institutions, provided that it respects the principles undergirding the international order, should never be interpreted as an unwarranted imposition or a limitation of sovereignty,” the Holy Father said, recalling his speech at the United Nations in New York on April 17.

“On the contrary,” he continued, “it is indifference or failure to intervene that do the real damage. What is needed is a deeper search for ways of pre-empting and managing conflicts by exploring every possible diplomatic avenue, and giving attention and encouragement to even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation”

The Pontiff invited those present to ask Mary “to defend your city and region, Italy, Europe and the whole world against the tempests that threaten the faith and true values.”

He also asked for prayers for “the young generations to take to the sea without fear, to face the voyage of life with Christian hope.”

After the Angelus, Benedict XVI traveled by car to Episcopio, where he had lunch with the bishops of the region. He ended his two-day trip to the Dioceses of Ugento-Santa María di Leuca and the Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni with a meeting with the local clergy.

Courtesy Zenit.org


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