On December 18, 1999 Václav Havel presented a Christmas tree to His Holiness Pope John Paul II and made the speech reproduced below. Twelve years later to the day on December 18, 2011 Havel passed away. Nevertheless it remains as relevant today, despite all that has happened since then, as it was 13 years ago.
Vatican, 18 December 1999
I greet you, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and,
especially, peace with the world, with Nature, with your brothers and
sisters and with yourselves!
Text taken from Havel's official website.
Pope John Paul II's address to Havel and the Czech pilgrims.
Speech of President of
the Czech Republic Václav Havel on the occasion of the presentation of
the Christmas tree for St. Peter's Square to the Holy Father, John Paul
II
Vatican, 18 December 1999
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great privilege to be able to present , on behalf of the Czech Republic, to the Vatican and the city of Rome, a Christmas tree which will stand this year on this famous square, and to be able to greet you all from this site.
It is a great privilege to be able to present , on behalf of the Czech Republic, to the Vatican and the city of Rome, a Christmas tree which will stand this year on this famous square, and to be able to greet you all from this site.
It is also a great privilege for the Czech Republic and
all its citizens, irrespective of their denominations, that it has been
namely our country which was asked to decorate this place at Christmas
at a time when we are all preparing for the advent of the jubilee Year
2000.
Since ancient times jubilee years have traditionally
served as an appeal for reflection and reconciliation. I have deep
respect for the persistent effort of the Holy Father to have this
dividing line of epochs inscribed by the Catholic Church and, generally,
by all people of good will into the history of the world as a time of
universal reconciliation, reconciliation of nations, cultures, spheres
of civilization, and thus, especially, as a time of new and better
mutual understanding between followers of different faiths.
For a long time I have been deeply convinced that the
good future of this civilization depends on how well and how quickly is
mankind able to find and understand again the absolutely fundamental
spiritual values and principles common to all religions. We all know
what they comprise: respect for the miracle of creation, of the creation
of the world, Nature, life, and the human being, as well as respect for
the moral order growing out of this miracle. I am sure that without the
restoration of these values mankind would hardly be able to face all
the threats looming over civilization.
People, simply, should not focus so much on what makes
their spiritual traditions different, but much more on what they have in
common and what is being revealed today by the dialogue between various
religions.
I am convinced that if we were to descend to the very
depths of our diverse traditions, we would start finding common roots
and perceiving them much more strongly as merely different branches of
the same tree. A tree of certainty that all that is has its source, its
order, its inspiration and its memory beyond us and above us.
I shall be happy if the Christmas tree which I have
brought from the Czech Republic could symbolize, amongst other things,
the spiritual reconciliation between the different branches of human
spirituality based on the awareness of their common trunk and common
roots.
This tree grew in a country which used to be depicted on
ancient maps as the heart of Europe, and now it will light up in the
city which used to be considered Europe's head. It would be wonderful if
it could also remind us that the spiritual reconciliation and spiritual
rebirth, to which we attach our hopes at the divide of epochs, must
grow from harmony between head and heart.
Christmas is the holiday of the advent of hope to this world.
Let the coming jubilee year bring all people of good
will new hope that the human family will, after all, find a way of
averting the dangers which it is inflicting upon itself.
Text taken from Havel's official website.
Pope John Paul II's address to Havel and the Czech pilgrims.
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