To the members of the NATO Defense College (April 2, 1989)

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VISIT TO CECCHIGNOLA MILITARY DISTRICT (ROME)

ADDRESS OF HIS JOHN PAUL II
TO THE REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE NATO DEFENSE COLLEGE*

Sunday, 2 April 1989

Dear Friends,

I am very happy that your stay at the Nato Defense College affords you this opportunity to visit the Pope. I extend a warm welcome to each of you during this Easter season, when Christians celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death.

Many countries are represented among the faculty, staff and course members of the Defense College. This makes it possible for you to grow in mutual understanding and to deepen your appreciation of the cooperation needed to pursue the goal of peace, not only for the various Nato countries but also for the whole human family.

It is my convinction that true peace cannot exist unless it is firmly rooted in a morality based on love of God and neighbour. Today there is a growing recognition of global interdependence and the need for human solidarity in promoting justice and peace. But as the Second Vatican Council so wisely pointed out, peace is ultimately the fruit of love, which goes beyond what justice can provide (Cfr. Gaudium et Spes, 78). This king of fraternal love can only be sustained by faith in God, our Creator and Judge. Without fidelity to God and to the moral order which is written in our hearts and in all of creation, there can be no lasting peace.

Dear friends, I am confident that through your participation in the Defense College each of you will be better prepared to make some contribution to world peace and to the authentic development of humanity. May Almighty God strengthen you for this task and bless you with every good gift.

*Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, vol. XII, 1 p. 721-722.

L'Osservatore Romano 4.4.1989 p.5.

L'Osservatore Romano. Weekly Edition in English n.15 p.8.