“Religion – every authentic religion – must never become a pretext for fuelling conflict, hatred and violence. There is no religious end that can justify the practice of man committing violence against man,” said His Eminence Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino yesterday.

Cardinal Martino is an Italian Cardinal Deacon and president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in the Roman Catholic Church.

His Eminence was speaking at a public lecture “Peace, Violence and Religions” organised by the Jesuit Faith and Justice Centre.

In a packed hall at St Aloysius College, young people, members of the clergy and religious orders and various religious groups listened attentively to Cardinal Martino’s words.

Cardinal Martino pointed out that it is not an easy subject to discuss as the perception of war and peace has changed.

“It is necessary to take into account the completely new context in which the problems of peace and war are found,” he said. “This must be done in order to identify the negative conditions in the quest for peace and to recognise the new opportunities to create better conditions for peace.”

Globalisation has changed the social meaning of peace, but not its anthropological and ethical dimension, His Eminence said.

A new interpretation of today’s world is needed, he said, while questioning what the role of religion is in the promotion of peace and he is convinced that a sincere religious sentiment “is the principal antidote for violence and conflicts.”

Indeed, at this present moment in history, humanity is waiting to see believers make gestures of peace and solidarity, and humanity is waiting to hear words of hope,” His Eminence said.

Cardinal Martino spoke about the efforts made by Pope John Paul II to promote dialogue and to constantly listen to what one has to say.

“Tragic situations in many parts of our world demonstrate the absolute necessity of dialogue and negotiation,” he added.

Furthermore, he said, dialogue between religions is a necessary prerequisite for meeting the complex and difficult needs of the world.

“Above all, dialogue makes it possible for us to overcome the danger of religious fundamentalism which today is widespread and very threatening.”

While a certain political fundamentalism was predominant in the past, said Cardinal Martino, now there is the risk of falling into different forms of religious fundamentalism.

“The power of men over other men threatens to exploit religions deeply distorting their truth,” said His Eminence.

Cardinal Martino said that now is the time to learn from what people have in common.

“There can be no true peace without respect for the dignity of individuals and peoples, for the rights and duties of each person, without an equitable distribution of benefits and burdens between individuals and society as a whole,” he said.

He stressed that it is only through this perspective that humanity can face the most terrible challenge: terrorism.

“The isolated acts of single extremists terrorism have been transformed into a sophisticated network of political, technological and economic cooperation,” said Cardinal Martino.

Furthermore, he added, it often has access to immense financial resources that allow it to plan strategies on a vast scale, “striking innocent people who are in no way connected with the issues involving the terrorists.”

One of the main problems of terrorism is that it gives rise to isolation, distrust and close-mindedness, the cardinal continued.

“It is an aggression committed against every person because all people can be targeted by it... and it is for this reason that there exists a right to defend oneself against terrorism.”

His Eminence spoke out clearly against all those who are responsible for terrorism in the name of any religion.

It is profanation and blasphemy to proclaim oneself a terrorist in God’s name – to kill and visit violence upon people in God’s name, he said.

“In the end, terrorism is a new chapter in the history of a mankind that wants to make itself God by definitively ridding itself of God.”

He pointed out that there is a public misconception that terrorism and religion are linked but that it can be overcome through dialogue.

Archbishop Paul Cremona was also present during the lecture and spoke about the importance of incorporating the concepts mentioned by Cardinal Martino into people’s daily lives.

“These thoughts can and should be incorporated into Maltese society,” said Mgr Cremona.

“We have to bring peace and include Christ in our daily lives. Christ is not simply someone we can pray to,” he explained.

However, said Mgr Cremona, Christ is a way of loving, thinking and acting – a clear way to bring about peace.