We must hope that the efforts being made to find a peaceful and equitable solution to the underlying causes will lead the parties involved to abandon the ways of violence and engage in patient and persevering negotiation. A just peace must be based upon the protection and promotion of the fundamental rights of all citizens, as well as upon respect for their cultural and religious traditions, in conformity with the demands of the common good. The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka, whose members come from all ethnic groups, is doing all it can to promote a climate of dialogue and foster peace. As you know, the Church always supports those initiatives which have as their aim the establishment of a just peace based on respect for human dignity. One of the major challenges facing many countries and the international community as a whole is the need to promote a more intense dialogue between cultures and traditions.
Culture shapes individuals and peoples, who in turn express themselves through it.
Every culture involves a particular vision of social, political and economic life, and at its heart is a specific understanding of the fundamental questions which affect people s lives, including religious ones. Man is a being who seeks the truth and strives to live in accordance with it. During these years, the bonds of friendship between your country and the Holy See have been strengthened and consolidated, and your presence here today is a testimony to these good relations. You have spoken very kindly of the Church s contribution to the betterment of society in such areas as education and social development. In accordance with her Divine Founder s command to love our neighbour as ourselves, the Church will continue to make efforts to ensure that people have the possibility of living a more dignified and fulfilled life, in keeping with the transcendent calling of every human person.