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As long as I have breath within me I shall cry out: ‘Peace, in the
name of God’
On Wednesday 22 May, at 7:00 PM, in Baku at the Presidential Palace,
the Holy Father met with Religious Leaders and Representatives of
Politics, Culture and the Arts. In his address the Holy Father
highlighted the rich spiritual heritage of the culture of Azerbaijan
quoting the great poet Nizami at three key junctures. After the warm
greeting of the President, the Holy Father addressed to the authorities
a … strong appeal for peace and respect and dialogue between the great
monotheistic faiths, for he came as an ambassador of peace. "From
this country, which has held and still holds tolerance as a primary
value of all wholesome life in society, we wish to proclaim to the
world: enough of wars in the name of God! No more profanation of his
holy name! I have come to Azerbaijan as an ambassador of peace. As long
as I have breath within me I shall cry out. ‘Peace, in the name of
God!’. And when word joins word, a chorus is born, a symphony, which
will spread to every soul, quench hatred, disarm hearts".
Mr President of the Republic,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. I am very pleased to be with you today. I greet each one of you,
with special thanks to the President of the Republic who, in your name,
has given me such a warm welcome.
One of your great poets wrote: "The word, new and at the same
time old.... The word, which is like the spirit, is the treasurer of the
riches of the invisible realm: it knows stories never heard, it reads
books never written" (Nizami, The Seven Effigies). This
image alludes to something that is dear to the three great religions present
in this country: Jewish, Christian and Muslim. According to the
teachings of each of them, the One God, shrouded in unapproachable
mystery, has chosen to speak to man, inviting him to submit to his will.
Mutual esteem, benevolence, peace as a basic path to understanding
2. Despite the differences between us, together we feel called to foster
ties of mutual esteem and benevolence. I am aware of all that is
being done by religious leaders in Azerbaijan to favour tolerance and
mutual understanding. I am looking forward to the meeting tomorrow with
the representatives of the three monotheistic religions, so that
together we can affirm our conviction that religion must not serve to
increase rivalry and hatred, but to promote love and peace.
From this country, which has held and still holds tolerance as a
primary value of all wholesome life in society, we wish to proclaim to
the world: enough of wars in the name of God! No more profanation
of his holy name! I have come to Azerbaijan as an ambassador of peace.
As long as I have breath within me I shall cry out: "Peace, in the
name of God!" And when word joins word, a chorus is born, a
symphony, which will spread to every soul, quench hatred, disarm hearts.
Islam, Jews, Christians and particularly the Orthodox
3. Praise to you, followers of Islam in Azerbaijan, for being
open to hospitality, a cherished value of your religion and your people,
and for having accepted the believers of other religions as brothers and
sisters.
Praise to you, Jewish people, who, with courage and constancy,
have kept your ancient traditions of good neighbourliness, enriching
this land with a contribution of great value and depth.
Praise to you, Christians, who have given so much, especially
through the ancient Church of the Albans, in shaping the identity of
this land. Praise especially to you, Orthodox Church, witness
to God's friendship with man and a hymn extolling his beauty. When the
fury of atheism was unleashed in this region, you welcomed the children
of the Catholic Church who had lost their places of worship and their
pastors, and put them into contact with Christ through the grace of the
holy Sacraments.
Praised be God for this testimony of love, borne by the three great
religions! May it grow and become ever stronger, extinguishing with the
dew of affection and friendship any remaining source of contrast!
Beauty is the light of the spirit, holiness is the fullness of beauty
4. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, in addition to the world of
religion, you represent the world of culture, art and politics.
What an extraordinary vocation you have received and what high
responsibilities you bear! So many people today feel lost and are
seeking an identity.
To you, representatives of culture and art, I say: beauty, as
you know, is the light of the spirit. The soul, when it is calm
and reconciled, when it lives in harmony with God and the universe,
emits a light that is already a kind of beauty. Holiness is nothing
other than fullness of beauty, as it reflects, according to its ability,
the consummate beauty of the Creator. It is your poet Nizami once more
who writes: "The intelligent people are those angels who have human
names. Intelligence is something marvellous" (The Seven
Effigies).
Dear friends, men and women of the world of culture and art, transmit
a taste for beauty to all those you meet! As the ancients teach us,
beauty, truth and goodness are united by an indissoluble bond.
5. In this land, none of those who have devoted themselves to culture
and art can feel useless or unrecognized. This contribution is
essential for the future of the Azerbaijani people. If culture is
cast aside, if art is neglected and despised, the very survival of a
civilization is imperiled, for that would hinder the handing on of the
values that constitute the deepest identity of a people.
In the recent past, a materialistic and neo-pagan vision has often
characterized the study of national cultures. Yours is the task,
distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, of rediscovering the entire
heritage of your civilization as the source of ever relevant values.
In this way you will be able to prepare suitable study-materials for
young people wishing to know the genuine wealth of history of their
country, in order to build their lives as citizens on a solid
foundation.
Honesty and accountability in politics
6. 1 turn to you, the men and women of politics! Your specific
activity is the service of the common good, the promotion of legality
and justice, the guarantee of freedom and prosperity for all. But
politics is also an area fraught with dangers. The selfish
seeking of personal advantage can easily take over, to the detriment of
faithful dedication to the common good. The great Nizami warns: "Do
not eat in the presence of those who are starving, or, if you do, invite
everyone to table" (The Seven Effigies).
Politics requires honesty and accountability. The people should
be able to feel understood and protected. They should be able to see
that their leaders are working to build a better future for them. Let it
not happen that when people are faced with situations of increasing
social inequality, they begin to feel dangerous nostalgia for the past.
Those who accept responsibility for administering public affairs
cannot deceive themselves: people do not forget! Just as they
remember with gratitude those who have laboured honestly in the service
of the common good, so they pass on to their children and grandchildren
bitter criticism of those who abused power to enrich themselves.
Educate the young in values that respect freedom and dignity of the
human person
7. There is one thing in particular that I would like to say to you,
men and women of the world of religion, culture, art and politics: look
to your young people and spare no effort on their behalf! They are
tomorrow's potential. They must be assured the chance to study and work,
according to their aptitudes and capacity. Above all, care must be taken
to educate them in the important values which last and give
meaning to life and its pursuits.
In this task, you especially who belong to the world of culture, art
and politics should see religion as your ally. It stands with you
to offer young people serious reasons for applying themselves. What
ideal in fact is better able to motivate the quest for truth, beauty and
goodness than belief in God, who reveals to the mind the limitless
expanse of his supreme perfection?
And you, the men and women of religion, you should become ever more
involved in proclaiming with sincerity and frankness the values in which
you believe, without recourse to dishonest means that impoverish and
betray the ideals you affirm. Take a hard look at the substance of these
ideals, and avoid methods of persuasion that do not respect the dignity
and freedom of the human person.
8. In one of his prayers to God, Nizami wrote: "If your servant
... has shown boldness in the formulation of his prayer, his water still
belongs for ever to your sea ... If he spoke a hundred languages, in
each tongue he would praise you; if he falls silent like those forsaken,
you comprehend the language of him who has no words" (Leila and
Majnun).
From this cosmopolitan land, may a hundred different languages raise
their prayer to the living God, who listens above all to those who are
poor and forgotten.
Upon all of you present here, upon your people, upon your future, may
the blessings of Almighty God descend, bringing prosperity and peace to
all!
The beauty of the hymn "Ave Maria" invites all of us to a
better life and work. Again many thanks to all present here.
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