Honorable compromises are needed for
peace, Pope Francis told Luxembourg authorities as he began a
trip to the country Thursday.
In his address, the pope emphasised "the advantages of peace
over the horrors of war, of the integration and promotion of
migrants over their segregation, "the benefits of cooperation
between nations over the harmful consequences of hardening
positions and the selfish and short-sighted or even violent
pursuit of one's own interests.
"There is in fact," he said, "an urgent need for those invested
with authority to engage with constancy and patience in honest
negotiations with a view to resolving differences, with a spirit
of readiness to find honorable compromises, which do not
undermine anything and which can instead build security and
peace for all".
Francis also pointed out "the re-emergence, even on the European
continent, of rifts and enmities which, instead of being
resolved on the basis of mutual goodwill, negotiation and
diplomatic work, break out into open hostilities, with their
sequel of destruction and death.
"It seems that the human heart does not always know how to
cherish memory and periodically goes astray and returns to the
tragic paths of war," said the 87-year-old Argentine pontiff.
"In order to heal this very dangerous sclerosis, which makes
nations gravely ill and risks throwing them into adventures with
immense human costs, renewing useless massacres, it is necessary
to focus on values that prevent the madness of reason and the
irresponsible return to making the same mistakes as in past
times."
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