Lenin Raghuvanshi, Indian activist: "The Pope shows the world the way for peace"
Delhi (AsiaNews) - Benedict XVI's message for Lent 2010 "shows that the Pope knows and understands the problems that afflict humanity very well. Furthermore, it is important that he expresses support for human rights activists and those fighting for democracy”. Lenin Raghuvanshi, director of the Indian Commission for Human Rights and premium Gwanju (the "Asian Nobel") in 2007 tells AsiaNews.
The common good and human dignity, which the Pope stressed as the basic requirements for all humanity, "are ethical imperatives for us all. The lack of food, water, work and health care are factors that affect humans and create unacceptable disparities. There are situations, which Benedict XVI shows to know, where people live in extreme sub-human situations: Well, these are unacceptable. "
According to the Pope, justice does not give man all he is due: "This thought is the most important for the present situation in India. Only this morning I met a Muslim boy, a victim of inter-religious violence in which police had not done justice. Now he cannot work, and he cannot access treatment: where is the responsibility and sense of justice of the state, in cases like these? Innocent people become victims and, with the complacency of the government, they lose the right to live their lives with dignity. "
Therefore, "it is essential that governments and world leaders listen and accept the invitation of His Holiness. That, in turn, has pointed out how Christians are called to contribute to the creation of a just society where everyone has receives the means to live according to their needs and where justice is made more vital by love. "
Benedict XVI speaks of love and today, in societies like India plagued by tensions, it is essential that this message is heard. Suspicion and mistrust must bow to the truth. The Pope's message is a path towards a culture of peace that can eradicate the sources of injustice, provide a true and equal distribution of resources, in which all people can live with dignity and without distinction of any kind. Justice and human rights must become the way to peace. " (N.C.)