Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 95

profound disquiet and the various crises - economic, political and social -

are a dramatic expression of this.

Here I cannot fail to address before all else the grave and disturbing

developments of the global economic and financial crisis. The crisis has not

only affected families and businesses in the more economically advanced

countries where it originated, creating a situation in which many people,

especially the young, have felt disoriented and frustrated in their

aspirations for a serene future, but it has also had a profound impact on

the life of developing countries. We must not lose heart, but instead

resolutely rediscover our way through new forms of commitment. The

crisis can and must be an incentive to reflect on human existence and on

the importance of its ethical dimension, even before we consider the

mechanisms governing economic life: not only in an effort to stem private

losses or to shore up national economies, but to give ourselves new rules

which ensure that all can lead a dignified life and develop their abilities for

the benefit of the community as a whole.

I would like next to point out that the effects of the present moment of

uncertainty are felt particularly by the young. Their disquiet has given rise in

recent months to agitation which has affected various regions, at times

severely. I think first and foremost of North Africa and the Middle East,

where young people, among others, who are suffering from poverty and

unemployment and are fearful of an uncertain future, have launched what

has developed into a vast movement calling for reforms and a more active

share in political and social life. At present it is hard to make a definitive

assessment of recent events and to understand fully their consequences

for the stability of the region. Initial optimism has yielded to an

acknowledgment of the difficulties of this moment of transition and

change, and it seems evident to me that the best way to move forward is

through the recognition of the inalienable dignity of each human person and

of his or her fundamental rights. Respect for the person must be at the centre

of institutions and laws; it must lead to the end of all violence and forestall

the risk that due concern for popular demands and the need for social

solidarity turn into mere means for maintaining or seizing power. I invite

the international community to dialogue with the actors in the current

processes, in a way respectful of peoples and in the realization that the

building of stable and reconciled societies, opposed to every form of unjust

discrimination, particularly religious discrimination, represents a much