We embarked on a new era inspired by the values of freedom. Freedom alone, however, cannot build solidarity and human dignity. Scenes of starving children, of women burdened with all that their families possess, walking for days in search of a better life, young and old alike affronting the crude violence of war - these have become the pictures which affront our sense of justice. Wars, ethnic conflicts, violations of human rights, gross inequalities and injustices are today instantly projected through the web of media networks. This is an added responsibility on the shoulders of States and Statesmen alike to react instantly and effectively to such difficult and sensitive circumstances.
Freedom also carries with it a notion of fear.
Conscious of the opportunity provided by a new-found era unbound by typified ideology, we require the courage to admit and cherish the wealth of universality and ward off uniformity. We speak of cultures, of peoples, of nations. These are not, as indeed they should not be, merely tokens of folklore reminiscent of peculiarities emanating in history. Attempts to stamp out such diversity or transform it into shallow clich s of bygone eras could undermine our search for peace. Your Holiness, Malta is at the crossroads of civilisations.