Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale96

vaster horizon than that of short-term electoral gains. I am deeply concerned

for the people of those countries where hostilities and acts of violence

continue, particularly Syria, where I pray for a rapid end to the bloodshed

and the beginning of a fruitful dialogue between the political forces,

encouraged by the presence of independent observers. In the Holy Land,

where tensions between Palestinians and Israelis affect the stability of the

entire Middle East, it is necessary that the leaders of these two peoples adopt

courageous and farsighted decisions in favour of peace. I was pleased to learn

that, following an initiative of the Kingdom of Jordan, dialogue has been

resumed; I express my hope that it will be maintained, and that it will lead to

a lasting peace which guarantees the right of the two peoples to dwell in

security in sovereign states and within secure and internationally

recognized borders. For its part, the international community must become

more creative in developing initiatives which promote this peace process and

are respectful of the rights of both parties. I am also following closely the

developments in Iraq, and I deplore the attacks that have recently caused so

much loss of life; I encourage the nation's leaders to advance firmly on the

path to full national reconciliation.

Blessed John Paul II stated that ''the path of peace is at the same time

the path of the young'',2 inasmuch as young people embody ''the youth of

the nations and societies, the youth of every family and of all humanity''.3

Young people thus impel us to take seriously their demand for truth, justice

and peace. For this reason, I chose them as the subject of my annual World

Day of Peace Message, entitled Educating Young People in Justice and Peace.

Education is a crucial theme for every generation, for it determines the

healthy development of each person and the future of all society. It thus

represents a task of primary importance in this difficult and demanding time.

In addition to a clear goal, that of leading young people to a full knowledge of

reality and thus of truth, education needs settings. Among these, pride of

place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman. This

is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every

society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human

dignity and the future of humanity itself. The family unit is fundamental for

the educational process and for the development both of individuals and

States; hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid

2 Apostolic Letter Dilecti amici (31 March 1985), 15. 3 Ibid., 1.