790 Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale

a painful and uncertain exile by continuing conflicts on ethnic, economic,

political and religious grounds in the Middle East and other parts of the

world. As a result, religious and ethnic minorities have become the target of

persecution and cruel treatment, to the point that suffering for one's religious

belief has become a daily reality. The martyrs belong to all the Churches and

their suffering is an « ecumenism of blood » which transcends the historical

divisions between Christians, calling us all to promote the visible unity of

Christ's disciples. Together we pray, through the intercession of the holy

Apostles, Peter and Paul, Thaddeus and Bartholomew, for a change of heart

in all those who commit such crimes and those who are in a position to

stop the violence. We implore the leaders of nations to listen to the plea of

millions of human beings who long for peace and justice in the world, who

demand respect for their God-given rights, who have urgent need of bread,

not guns. Sadly, we are witnessing a presentation of religion and religious

values in a fundamentalist way, which is used to justify the spread of hatred,

discrimination and violence. The justification of such crimes on the basis of

religious ideas is unacceptable, for « God is not the author of confusion, but of

peace ».1 Moreover, respect for religious difference is the necessary condition

for the peaceful cohabitation of different ethnic and religious communities.

Precisely because we are Christians, we are called to seek and implement

paths towards reconciliation and peace. In this regard we also express our

hope for a peaceful resolution of the issues surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mindful of what Jesus taught his disciples when he said: « I was hungry

and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger

and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you

visited me, I was in prison and you came to me »,2 we ask the faithful of our

Churches to open their hearts and hands to the victims of war and terrorism,

to refugees and their families. At issue is the very sense of our humanity, our

solidarity, compassion and generosity, which can only be properly expressed

in an immediate practical commitment of resources. We acknowledge all that

is already being done, but we insist that much more is needed on the part

of political leaders and the international community in order to ensure the

right of all to live in peace and security, to uphold the rule of law, to protect

religious and ethnic minorities, to combat human trafficking and smuggling.

1 I Corinthians 14:33. 2 Matthew 25:35-36.