Acta Francisci Pp. 693

Catholics honour our elders who were martyred for the faith because they

were willing to give their lives for the truth which they had come to believe

and by which they sought to live their lives. They teach us how to live fully

for God and for the good of one another.

A wise and great people do not only cherish their ancestral traditions;

they also treasure their young, seeking to pass on the legacy of the past

and to apply it to the challenges of the present. Whenever young people

gather together, as on the present occasion, it is a precious opportunity for

all of us to listen to their hopes and concerns. We are also challenged to

reflect on how well we are transmitting our values to the next generation,

and on the kind of world and society we are preparing to hand on to them.

In this context, I think it is especially important for us to reflect on the

need to give our young people the gift of peace.

This appeal has all the more resonance here in Korea, a land which

has long suffered because of a lack of peace. I can only express my appre-

ciation for the efforts being made in favour of reconciliation and stability

on the Korean peninsula, and to encourage those efforts, for they are the

only sure path to lasting peace. Korea's quest for peace is a cause close to

our hearts, for it affects the stability of the entire area and indeed of our

whole war-weary world.

The quest for peace also represents a challenge for each of us, and in

a particular way for those of you dedicated to the pursuit of the common

good of the human family through the patient work of diplomacy. It is the

perennial challenge of breaking down the walls of distrust and hatred by

promoting a culture of reconciliation and solidarity. For diplomacy, as the

art of the possible, is based on the firm and persevering conviction that

peace can be won through quiet listening and dialogue, rather than by

mutual recriminations, fruitless criticisms and displays of force.

Peace is not simply the absence of war, but « the work of justice ».1 And

justice, as a virtue, calls for the discipline of forbearance; it demands that we

not forget past injustices but overcome them through forgiveness, tolerance

and cooperation. It demands the willingness to discern and attain mutually

beneficial goals, building foundations of mutual respect, understanding and

1 Cf. Is 32: 17.