Vatican City, 1 January 2014 (VIS) –
Following the celebration of Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Holy
Mother of God, and on the 47th World Day of Peace, Pope Francis
appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the
faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the
Marian prayer, the Pontiff made some comments on the theme of peace.
“Following in the footsteps of my
predecessors, beginning with Paul VI, I have developed this theme in
a message, which today I convey to all. It is based on the conviction
that we are all children of one Heavenly Father, we are part of the
same human family, and we share a common destiny. Thus we all have
the shared responsibility to work to make the world into a community
of brothers and sisters who respect each other, accept diversity and
take care of each other. We are also called to be aware of the
violence and injustice that exist in many parts of the world and to
which we should remain indifferent and immobile: the commitment of
all is necessary to build a more just and caring society. From every
corner of the earth, today believers raise prayers to the Lord for
the gift of peace and the ability to bring it to every place."
“On this, the first day of the year”,
added the Holy Father, “may the Lord help us to set out more
decisively on the path of justice and peace; may the Holy Spirit act
in our hearts, loosening bonds and warming hardened hearts so that
they open up to the tenderness and weakness of the Child Jesus. Peace
requires the force of meekness, the non-violent strength of the truth
and of love.
Similarly, Pope Francis encouraged the
faithful to place their hopes with filial trust in the hands of Mary.
"May she, who extends her maternal love to all mankind, hear the
cry for peace of those people oppressed by war and violence, so that
the courage of dialogue and reconciliation might prevail over the
temptation for revenge, arrogance and corruption. We pray to her that
the Gospel of fraternity announced and witnessed by the Church speak
to every conscience and break down the walls that prevent enemies
from recognising each other as brothers".
After the Marian prayer, Pope Francis
wished a happy new year, full of peace, to all the pilgrims and
faithful. He thanked the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio
Napolitano, for the words addressed to the him during the president's
message to the Italian nation on the night of 31 December, and sent
his best wishes to the Italian people so that they "may look to
the future with confidence and hope". He also thanked the
various groups that have arranged prayer initiatives dedicated to
peace, in particular the national March which began on 31 December in
Campobasso, Italy, organised by the Italian Episcopal Conference,
Caritas and Pax Christi; the Sant'Egidio Community; and the families
of the Movement of Family Love, who spent the night praying in St.
Peter's Square,and the volunteers of Fraterna Domus. Before
concluding, he addressed a special greeting to the "Star
Singers" (“Sternsinger”), the children and young people in
Germany and Austria who bring the blessing of Jesus to homes and
collect donations for children in need.
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