Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 1059

Indeed, today more than ever, the human family needs to find the tools

and strategies capable of overcoming the conflicts caused by social differ-

ences, ethnic rivalries, and the gross disparity in levels of economic develop-

ment. Mankind is thirsting for true and lasting peace - a peace that can only

come about if individuals, groups at every level, and government leaders

cultivate habits of responsible decision-making rooted firmly in the funda-

mental principles of justice. It is therefore essential that societies dedicate

their energies to educating authentic peacemakers: this is a task which falls in

a particular way to organizations like your own, which cannot fail to recog-

nize as the foundation of authentic justice the universal destination of the

goods of creation.

Religion, as a potent spiritual force for healing the wounds of conflict and

division, has its own distinctive contribution to make in this regard, espe-

cially through the work of forming minds and hearts in accordance with a

vision of the human person.

Ladies and Gentlemen, technical progress, important as it is, is not every-

thing. Such progress must be placed within the wider context of the integral

good of the human person. It must constantly draw nourishment from the

common patrimony of values which can inspire concrete initiatives aimed at

a more equitable distribution of spiritual and material goods. As I wrote in

my encyclical Deus Caritas Est, ''those who are in a position to help others

will realize that, in doing so, they themselves receive help; being able to help

others is no merit or achievement of their own''.1 This principle has a special

application to the world of agriculture, in which the work of those who are

often considered the ''lowliest'' members of society should be duly acknowl-

edged and esteemed.

FAO's outstanding activity on behalf of development and food security

clearly points to the correlation between the spread of poverty and the denial

of basic human rights, beginning with the fundamental right to adequate

nutrition. Peace, prosperity, and respect for human rights are inseparably

linked. The time has come to ensure, for the sake of peace, that no man,

woman and child will ever be hungry again!

Dear friends, in renewing my esteem for your work, I assure you of my

prayers that Almighty God will enlighten and guide your deliberations, so

1 No. 35.