Not just the absence of ____________ , but also the presence of ____________ and honesty is required to bind up the nation’s wound.

From the given context, we can infer that the first blank is filled with a negative word. Religion in second blank is not in line with the given context. Therefore, options B, C and D are eliminated. 

Option B: Retribution means punishment, which isn’t about healing the nation's wounds. Camaraderie refers to friendship, but the sentence is looking for something deeper, like insight (understanding) to heal.

Option E: This is the appropriate answer. "Recrimination" refers to mutual accusations or blame, which should be absent for healing, while "insight" refers to understanding or wisdom, which would help mend the nation's wounds.