VATICAN CITY (UCAN) --  "Frank and sincere negotiations" are "the only sure means" to resolve the long-running conflict in Sri Lanka, Pope Benedict XVI has told the country's new ambassador to the Holy See.

The pope accepted Ambassador Tikiri Bandara Maduwegerdera's credential letters on May 29 in the Vatican, a little more than a year after he welcomed Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

At that April 2007 meeting, he emphasized the urgent need to negotiate a peaceful solution to the 25-year-old armed conflict between the Sinhalese-led government and Tamil rebels, which has left 80,000 people dead and displaced more than 1 million.

His message has not changed, but the conflict on the South Asian island of 20 million people has intensified, especially after the final collapse in January of a cease-fire signed in 2002. Sri Lanka's population comprises about 69 percent Sinhalese Buddhists; 15 percent Tamil Hindus; 8 percent Muslims and 8 percent Christians, both Sinhalese and Tamil, including 1.3 million Catholics.

"Catholics in Sri Lanka, together with other Christians, are united with many Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in the ardent longing for lasting peace in the country and a definitive end to long-standing grievances," Pope Benedict told the new ambassador. "Sadly, violence continues to take its toll on the populace, causing grave concern to the Holy See and the international community."

The pope insisted "frank and sincere negotiations, regardless of the investment of time and resources they require," are "the only sure means to achieving reconciliation and addressing problems that have long hindered peaceful coexistence in Sri Lanka."

Maduwegerdera said in his speech that "a terrorist group" has severely threatened Sri Lanka's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" for a quarter of a century. "While seeking to address the Tamil problem politically," he said, his government is using "limited military action to defeat terrorism in the country."

Pope Benedict replied that "acts of terrorism are never justifiable," while "arbitrary attacks fail to give effective voice to the interests of the various groups on whose behalf they are purportedly carried out" and can provoke "indiscriminate reactions."

He told the ambassador -- and through him the government -- that "such cycles of violence obfuscate the truth, perpetuate a volley of accusations and counter-accusations, and leave people disillusioned and despondent."

For this reason, he insisted, "the struggle against terrorism must always be carried out with respect for human rights and the rule of law."

Pope Benedict called on "all parties" to lay the groundwork for peace "by listening to one another and showing reasonable respect for each other's legitimate aspirations."

The ambassador had spoken of the rebels recruiting child soldiers and using women suicide bombers to attack civilians as well as security forces.

Pope Benedict denounced "recruiting children to engage in combat or in terrorist activities" as a practice that "must be condemned." He added that peace "initiatives" must be "rooted in a proper understanding of the human person and the inviolability of his or her innate rights."

Maduwegerdera had also cited Sri Lanka's "significant progress" on human rights and humanitarian issues such as by establishing a "Ministry for Human Rights and Disaster Management."

Noting these initiatives, the pope described as "encouraging" the government's decision "to set up a special Commission of Inquiry for the purpose of investigating cases where there seems to have been a disregard for justice and human rights."

He added his hope the commission would complete its work "expeditiously so that the truth about all of these cases may come to light," including the case of "Father Jim Brown and his assistant, whose whereabouts are still unknown almost two years after their disappearance."

Noting the ambassador's appreciation of the Vatican's contribution following the December 2004 tsunami, the pope assured the government of the Church's commitment to "reach out with compassion to all."

He commended "any future measures" the government might take to "help guarantee that Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable agencies can continue to care for the sick, the young and the vulnerable regardless of ethnic or religious background."

Pope Benedict concluded by assuring President Rajapaksa of his "prayers for the peace and well being of the nation" and by invoking God's blessings on all Sri Lanka's people.

END