170 Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale

accompanied by outbreaks of violence. Sri Lanka for many years knew the

horrors of civil strife, and is now seeking to consolidate peace and to heal

the scars of those years. It is no easy task to overcome the bitter legacy

of injustices, hostility and mistrust left by the conflict. It can only be done

by overcoming evil with good1 and by cultivating those virtues which foster

reconciliation, solidarity and peace. The process of healing also needs to

include the pursuit of truth, not for the sake of opening old wounds, but

rather as a necessary means of promoting justice, healing and unity.

Dear friends, I am convinced that the followers of the various religious

traditions have an essential role to play in the delicate process of recon-

ciliation and rebuilding which is taking place in this country. For that

process to succeed, all members of society must work together; all must

have a voice. All must be free to express their concerns, their needs, their

aspirations and their fears. Most importantly, they must be prepared to

accept one another, to respect legitimate diversities, and learn to live as

one family. Whenever people listen to one another humbly and openly, their

shared values and aspirations become all the more apparent. Diversity is

no longer seen as a threat, but as a source of enrichment. The path to jus-

tice, reconciliation and social harmony becomes all the more clearly seen.

In this sense, the great work of rebuilding must embrace improving

infrastructures and meeting material needs, but also, and even more im-

portantly, promoting human dignity, respect for human rights, and the full

inclusion of each member of society. It is my hope that Sri Lanka's political,

religious and cultural leaders, by measuring their every word and action by

the good and the healing it will bring, will make a lasting contribution to

the material and spiritual progress of the Sri Lankan people.

Mr President, dear friends, I thank you once again for your welcome.

May these days we spend together be days of friendship, dialogue and

solidarity. I invoke an abundance of God's blessings upon Sri Lanka, the

Pearl of the Indian Ocean, and I pray that its beauty may shine forth in

the prosperity and peace of all its people.

1 Cf. Rom 12:21.