"Some aeas of dialogue remain open, which we will have to cover and clean up, slowly, with determination and patience", said Benedict XVI in his speech at he welcome ceremony at the Elisèe but the conditions for a "positive laicism" to "qualify a more open understanding" in the relations between politics and religion are fulfilled. "At this historical time in which the cultures are increasingly crossing each other, I am deeply convinced that a new reflection on the true meaning and the importance of laicism has become essential", added the Pope. While it is actually "essential on one side to insist on the distinction between the political and the religious spheres, in order to protect both the religious freedom of the population and the responsibility of the State towards them", I firmly believe it is necessary, "on the other side, to clearly acknowledge the irreplaceable role played by religion in the education of the conscience and the contribution it can give, along with other aspirations, to the creation of ethical consensus at the roots of society". "The Pope, the witness of a God who loves and saves, endeavours to be a sower of love and hope", especially "in this day and age, which offer few spiritual aspirations and few material certainties". (continued)
