“May individuals and peoples never rise up against each other again! Each time a conflict breaks out it is the whole world that suffers and is disfigured!”
“This morning, before you, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like once more to condemn in the most categorical manner, the crimes against man and humanity which are being perpetrated before our very eyes. I would like once more to appeal to the conscience of everyone:
– to all those carrying a weapon, I ask them to put it down; what is taken or destroyed by force will never do honor to a man or to the cause he claims to uphold;
– to the humanitarian organizations, I express my admiration for the work they are accomplishing at great cost, and I ask them to continue without becoming discouraged;
– I ask European political leaders to redouble their efforts to persuade the warring factions so that reason will finally prevail;
– to the peoples of Europe, I ask them not to forget, through weariness or selfishness, their brothers and sisters trapped in conflicts which have been imposed on them by their leaders.”
With the consent of Bernard Lecomte “The World According to John Paul II”; Tallandier 2018
Excerpts from JP2 speeches: Address to the Diplomatic Corps, Vilnius September 1993; Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 15 January 1994
