Following his recent apostolic journey to Lebanon, it is patently clear that Pope Benedict XVI is a pilgrim of peace. In his address on his arrival at Beirut, he personally confirmed it. “I also come symbolically to all the countries of the Middle East as a pilgrim of peace, as a friend of God and as a friend of all the inhabitants of all the countries of the region, whatever their origins and beliefs.”

It is interesting to see how the Holy Father developed his concept of peace during his three-day apostolic visit. The hub of his understanding of peace is in his speech to the political, religious and cultural leaders of Lebanon.

As a matter of fact, for Pope Ratzinger, peace starts with the right evaluation of human life. “If we want peace, let us defend life! This approach leads us to reject not only war and terrorism, but every assault on innocent human life, on men and women as creatures willed by God.” Peace is situated in time and space. Such is the case of the Middle East that, in the Holy Father’s words, is “to be an example, to bear witness before the world that every man and woman has the possibility of concretely realising his or her longing for peace and reconciliation! This aspiration is part of God’s eternal plan and he has impressed it deep within the human heart.”

Peace is the basis for our human dignity, which is reflected in the staunch and relentless defence of human life and the institution of the family. Thus, “our human dignity is inseparable from the sacredness of life as the gift of the Creator. In God’s plan, each person is unique and irreplaceable. A person comes into this world in a family, which is the first locus of humanization, and above all the first school of peace. To build peace, we need to look to the family, supporting it and facilitating its task, and in this way promoting an overall culture of life”.

That is why it is essential that the truth concerning human nature should never be overlooked. Otherwise, negative consequences like unemployment, poverty, corruption, any kind of addictions and trafficking, terrorism and so forth usher in and enslave the human person with “an economic and financial mindset that would subordinate ‘being’ to ‘having’!” In this respect, Benedict XVI seriously cautioned against “some ideologies [which] undermine the foundations of society”.

For peace to be fostered, “a new kind of fraternity” is really essential. Deeply hidden within every individual there is “a shared sense of the greatness of each person and the gift which others are to themselves, to those around them and to all humanity”. The role of education is pivotal in the challenging and continual quest for peace since the former’s aim is “to guide and support the development of the freedom to make right decisions, which may run counter to widespread opinions, the fashions of the moment, or forms of political and religious ideology”.

Evil threatens and destroys peace by “our human narrowness, harshness, intolerance, favouritism and desire for revenge”. That is why it is important to overcome evil with good, especially by a conversion of the heart. This kind of conversion is “exhilarating, since it creates possibilities by appealing to the countless resources present in the hearts of all those men and women who desire to live in peace and are prepared to work for peace”. Moreover, it entails “rejecting revenge, acknowledging one’s faults, accepting apologies without demanding them, and, not least, forgiveness”.

Peace involves peaceful coexistence between adherents of different religions. Dialogue is decisive. “Such dialogue is only possible when the parties are conscious of the existence of values that are common to all great cultures because they are rooted in the nature of the human person. This substratum of values expresses man’s true humanity.

“These values are inseparable from the rights of each and every human being.”

Am I a pilgrim of peace by welcoming every person I meet with a charitable attitude, and, at the same time, being open to what is true and good in that person?

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap

SAN GWANN