VATICAN CITY, 6 JAN 2009 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus at midday today, the Pope greeted faithful of the Oriental Churches who, in accordance with the Julian calendar, celebrate Christmas tomorrow.
The Holy Father expressed the hope that "the memory of the birth of the Saviour may awaken in their hearts the joy of being loved by God", then added: "The thought of these, our brothers and sisters in the faith, carries me spiritually to the Holy Land and the Middle East. With grave concern I continue to follow the violent armed clashes taking place in the Gaza Strip. While underlining that hatred and refusal of dialogue cannot but lead to war, I would like today to encourage the initiatives and efforts of all those people who, holding peace dear to their hearts, are seeking to help Israelis and Palestinians to agree to sit around a table and talk. May God support the efforts of those courageous 'builders of peace'".
Benedict XVI then went on to point out how the Epiphany "in many countries is also a feast for children. My special thoughts, then, go out to all children, who are the richness and blessing of the world, and especially to the many who are denied a peaceful childhood.
"I would like to draw particular attention", he added, "to the scores of babies and children who, in recent months including the Christmas period, in the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been kidnapped by armed bands who have attacked villages causing many victims and wounded. I appeal to the perpetrators of these inhuman brutalities to restore the children to their families and to a future of security and development, to which they have the right alongside those dear peoples. At the same time I express my spiritual closeness to the local Churches which have also been affected in their personnel and their works, while exhorting the pastors and faithful to remain strong and firm in hope".
The Pope went on: "Episodes of violence against children, which unfortunately exist also in other parts of the world, seem even more deplorable considering the fact that 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a commitment the international community is called to renew in order to defend, safeguard and promote infancy all over the world. May the Lord help the people who work every day in the service of the new generations helping them to become protagonists of their own future".
"The World Day of Missionary Childhood", he concluded, "which is celebrated on today's Feast of the Epiphany, is a good occasion to underscore the fact that babies and children can play an important role in spreading the Gospel and in works of solidarity towards their more needy peers. May the Lord reward them!"
ANG/PEACE GAZA CHILDREN/… VIS 20090107 (490)
The Holy Father expressed the hope that "the memory of the birth of the Saviour may awaken in their hearts the joy of being loved by God", then added: "The thought of these, our brothers and sisters in the faith, carries me spiritually to the Holy Land and the Middle East. With grave concern I continue to follow the violent armed clashes taking place in the Gaza Strip. While underlining that hatred and refusal of dialogue cannot but lead to war, I would like today to encourage the initiatives and efforts of all those people who, holding peace dear to their hearts, are seeking to help Israelis and Palestinians to agree to sit around a table and talk. May God support the efforts of those courageous 'builders of peace'".
Benedict XVI then went on to point out how the Epiphany "in many countries is also a feast for children. My special thoughts, then, go out to all children, who are the richness and blessing of the world, and especially to the many who are denied a peaceful childhood.
"I would like to draw particular attention", he added, "to the scores of babies and children who, in recent months including the Christmas period, in the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been kidnapped by armed bands who have attacked villages causing many victims and wounded. I appeal to the perpetrators of these inhuman brutalities to restore the children to their families and to a future of security and development, to which they have the right alongside those dear peoples. At the same time I express my spiritual closeness to the local Churches which have also been affected in their personnel and their works, while exhorting the pastors and faithful to remain strong and firm in hope".
The Pope went on: "Episodes of violence against children, which unfortunately exist also in other parts of the world, seem even more deplorable considering the fact that 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a commitment the international community is called to renew in order to defend, safeguard and promote infancy all over the world. May the Lord help the people who work every day in the service of the new generations helping them to become protagonists of their own future".
"The World Day of Missionary Childhood", he concluded, "which is celebrated on today's Feast of the Epiphany, is a good occasion to underscore the fact that babies and children can play an important role in spreading the Gospel and in works of solidarity towards their more needy peers. May the Lord reward them!"
ANG/PEACE GAZA CHILDREN/… VIS 20090107 (490)
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