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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday called on people of every religious tradition to join in condemning the misuse of God’s name to justify acts of violence.

Speaking in the Apostolic Palace to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See during the traditional exchange of New Year’s greetings with the diplomats, Pope Francis said, “[O]ne can never kill in God’s name,” adding that the world is, “dealing with a homicidal madness which misuses God’s name in order to disseminate death, in a play for domination and power.”

Pope Francis also said,  “Fundamentalist terrorism is the fruit of a profound spiritual poverty, and often is linked to significant social poverty.”

Click below to hear our report

“It can only be fully defeated with the joint contribution of religious and political leaders,” he continued.

Security and peace were the twin focal points of the Holy Father’s broad-ranging address, which is often described as his "state of the world" address and this year was articulated in some thirty-four paragraphs and twenty footnotes. 

“In today’s climate of general apprehension for the present, and uncertainty and anxious concern for the future, I feel it is important to speak a word of hope, which can also indicate a path on which to embark,” the Pope said.

The Holy Father pointed out some of the areas where conflict is affecting people’s lives.

“I think particularly of the fundamentalist-inspired terrorism that in the past year has also reaped numerous victims throughout the world: in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, the United States of America, Tunisia and Turkey,” he said.

“These are vile acts that use children to kill, as in Nigeria, or target people at prayer, as in the Coptic Cathedral of Cairo, or travelers or workers, as in Brussels, or passers-by in the streets of cities like Nice and Berlin, or simply people celebrating the arrival of the new year, as in Istanbul,” he continued.

The Pope called on the international community to work for peace.

“Peace,” Pope Francis said, is a gift, a challenge and a commitment,” that each of us and all together are called to receive, to answer, and embrace with care and dedication.

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Hours before tens of thousands of barefoot Filipinos joined Monday’s annual procession of the Black Nazarene, the Archbishop of Manila celebrated a midnight Mass calling his countrymen  to unselfish love.   Reflecting on the Baptism of Jesus, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, in his homily at the capital’s Quirino Grandstand stressed that in order to love as Jesus did, one ‎must turn away from selfishness and focus on serving others.‎   ‎“That is the love that will promote unity in our families, the parish, in our barangay, in our country, and ‎in the whole world,” he said.     According to him, these are the keys to love that the country needs for the sake of unity. He also said ‎division among people is often the effect of prejudice.‎

According to him, these are the keys to love that the country needs for the sake of unity. He e According to him, these are the keys to love that the country needs for the sake of unity. He warned that prejudice and judging other bring about ‎division among people.

About a million and a half barefoot Philippine devotees praying for miracles joined the procession of the black statue of Christ being paraded through the old commercial centre of Manila.   The devotees crowded around the carriage-pulled by ropes and pushed from behind - bearing the statue, known as the Black Nazarene, which is believed to have healing powers, as it crawled through the narrow streets.   About 80 percent of the more than 100 million people of the Philippines are Roman Catholic.   Authorities expect some 15 to 18 million devotees to touch the Black Nazarene during the procession that is expected to last more than 20 hours.  

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ prayer intention for January is for Christians serving the challenges facing humanity, in which he asks that full ecclesial communion be restored in order to serve the challenges facing humanity.

The Apostleship of Prayer has produced the Pope’s Video on this prayer intention.

The full text of the Pope’s Video is below:

In today’s world, many Christians from various churches work together to serve humanity in need, to defend human life and its dignity, to defend creation, and to combat injustice. [1]

This desire to walk together, to collaborate in service and in solidarity with the weakest and with those who suffer, is a source of joy for us all. [2]

Join your voice to mine in praying for all who contribute through prayer and fraternal charity to restoring full ecclesial communion in service of the challenges facing humanity. [3]

_____________________

[1] Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian unity for the 50th anniversary of the decree "Unitatis Redintegratio".

[2] Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian unity for the 50th anniversary of the decree "Unitatis Redintegratio".

[3] Universal Prayer Intention of the Holy Father entrusted to the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). January 2017.

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Pope Francis Monday revealed that the number of ambassadors accredited to the Holy See has grown. In his annual address to members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, it also emerged that in the course of last year, the number of African countries that signed or ratified bilateral Agreements with the Holy See had increased. The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a month ago, brings to 182 countries and entities that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See in the world.

In his annual address to the diplomats, Pope Francis named the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Benin as African countries that signed or ratified agreements aimed at recognising the Catholic Church’s juridical status, last year.

Speaking to Pope Francis on behalf of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, the Dean, His Excellency Armindo Fernandes do Espírito Santo Vieira, of Angola, thanked the Holy Father for his concrete steps in reducing suffering in the word as evidenced during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The ambassador thanked the Pope for his leadership in encouraging peace; his stand on migration, social change and the climate.

“Despite many efforts, we feel sad because certain tragedies (in the world) highlight our inability to prevent them. The attacks in Germany, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Egypt, the United States, France, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey and many other countries; The suffering of the civilian population in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen reveal that the road to peace is still a long way off,” Ambassador Armindo said.

Fr. Paul Samasumo (Vatican Radio)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

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(Vatican Radio) Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See has welcomed Pope Francis’ words to the diplomatic corps, saying that Monday’s speech offers a practical “prescription” for peacemaking around the globe.

Ambassador Sally Axworthy officially took up her post last September as Britain’s new representative to the Vatican, one of the 182 nations which enjoy full diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

Just after the Pope’s traditional New Year encounter with the ambassadors, she talked to Philippa Hitchen about her impressions and about his invitation for closer cooperation with the Holy See….

Listen: 

The ambassador notes that the Pope has spoken about global peace and security many times before but in this speech “he takes some of those themes a little further”. An example, she says, is his words about ending conflicts through negotiations, adding that she understands his focus on non-violence to mean that the Holy See “advocates resolving conflicts through negotiations, which I think the UK would strongly support”.

While the Pope’s words “can seem quite abstract”, Ambassador Axworthy says she also believes that his speech was highlighting some practical contributions to peacemaking. She mentions his words about the role of religion in tackling terrorism and the need for religious and political leaders to work together.

Call for practical collaboration

She also notes the Pope’s words on Cuba and Colombia where the Holy See played a decisive role in conflict resolution and she welcomes the Pope’s invitation that the Holy See and Secretariat of State are “open for collaboration”, describing it as a bit of a “signpost that maybe they’re thinking more practically about what they can do”.

Cooperation with religious leaders

Asked about the UK government’s willingness to collaborate with religious leaders, she says there is a good relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury and others leaders too. She says they play “a valuable part” in British society, which the government recognizes, adding that it is “very open” to exploring how it can work more with religious leaders, especially in conflict resolution.

Holistic approach to migration

Commenting on the Pope’s words about migration, Ambassador Axworthy says her government “welcomes genuine refugees”, and has taken “some of the most vulnerable refugees from Syria”, as well as a large number of children from  the camps near Calais. She says she was struck by similarities between what the Pope said and what her government has been saying on the need for people to have opportunities, jobs and development in their home countries. The British government, she notes, has put a lot of money – some four billion pounds last year - into aid in Africa, as well as maintaining its commitment to spend 0.7 percent of GDP on humanitarian aid, emphasizing what she calls “a holistic approach to migration”

Shared European values

Asked about the Pope’s words on European unification as “a unique opportunity for stability, peace and solidarity”, the ambassador notes that he continues by stressing that the values which inspired  the EU project are “values common to the entire continent and transcend the border of the EU itself”. The UK government, she stresses, “has said repeatedly we’re not leaving Europe, we’re leaving the EU” so will maintain close ties and shared values with the rest of the continent.

The Pope’s speech, Ambassador Axworthy concludes, “almost gives us as bit of a prescription” for peacebuilding, adding that she sees “some scenes on which we can work with the Holy See” in attempting to resolve conflicts in places where the Vatican has significant influence.

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IMAGE: CNS/Reuters

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At the start of a new year, Pope Francis laid out a laundry list of suggested resolutions for religious and political leaders for making a joint commitment toward building peace.

No conflict exists that is "a habit impossible to break," the pope said, but he underlined that kicking such a habit requires greater efforts to rectify social injustice, protect religious freedom, jump-start peace talks, end the arms trade and cooperate in responding to climate change and the immigration and refugee crises.

In a 45-minute speech Jan. 9 to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, the pope underlined what he saw as the real "enemies of peace" and the best responses that could be made by today's religious and political leaders.

"One enemy of peace," he said, is seeing the human person as a means to an end, which "opens the way to the spread of injustice, social inequality and corruption."

The waste, "greedy exploitation" and inequitable distribution of the world's resources provoke conflict, he said, and human trafficking, especially the abuse and exploitation of children, cannot be overlooked.

Another enemy of peace, the pope said, are ideologies that exploit "social unrest in order to foment contempt and hate" and target others as enemies to be eliminated.

"Under the guise of promising great benefits, (such ideologies) instead leave a trail of poverty, division, social tensions, suffering and, not infrequently, death," he said.

What peace requires, he said, is "a vision of human beings capable of promoting an integral development respectful of their transcendent dignity" as well as the courage and commitment to seek to build peace together every day.

Religions are "called to promote peace," he said, appealing to "all religious authorities to join in reaffirming unequivocally that one can never kill in God's name."

"The fundamentalist-inspired terrorism" that has been killing so many innocent people the past year is "a homicidal madness which misuses God's name in order to disseminate death in a play for domination and power."

Fundamentalist terrorism is the fruit of deep "spiritual poverty" that does not connect a pious fear of God with the mandate to love one's neighbor. Often it also is linked to deep social poverty, which demands action including on the part of government leaders.

Political leaders must guarantee "in the public forum the right to religious freedom" and recognize the positive contribution religious values make in society, he said. They must promote social policies aimed at fighting poverty and promoting the family as well as invest heavily in education and culture so as to eliminate the sort of "terrain" that spreads fundamentalism.

Christians, whose divisions "have endured too long," also must heal past wounds and journey forward together with common goals since many of those conflicts have threatened social harmony and peace, the pope said.

Peace, he said, entails greater justice and mercy in the world, especially toward foreigners, migrants and refugees.

"A common commitment is needed, one focused on offering them a dignified welcome," he said. It means recognizing people have a right to emigrate and take up a new residence without feeling their security and cultural identity are being threatened. Immigrants, however, also must respect local laws and cultures, he added.

Handling today's waves of migration demands global responsibility and cooperation so that the "burden of humanitarian assistance" is not left to just a few nations at enormous cost and hardship.

Peace also demands an end to the "deplorable arms trade" and a ban on nuclear weapons, he said. Easy access to firearms "not only aggravates various conflicts, but also generates a widespread sense of insecurity and fear."

He called on the world community to do everything to encourage "serious negotiations" for an end to the war in Syria, the protection of civilians and delivery of the aid needed to address the "genuine human catastrophe" unfolding there.

He urgently appealed for the resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in order to guarantee "the peaceful coexistence of two states within internationally recognized borders."

"No conflict can become a habit impossible to break," he said, underlining the urgent need for peace in the whole Middle East.

The pope praised the church's efforts -- inspired by "mercy and solidarity" -- to avert conflict through negotiated solutions. He thanked the many individuals who followed this path of actively working for peace, resulting in the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States, and the end to conflict in Colombia.

Lastly, peace also requires a common commitment to care for creation, he said.

Pope Francis said he hoped that after the recent Paris Agreement, there would be increased cooperation by everyone in response to climate change. Because, he said, "the earth is our common home and we need to realize that the choices of each have consequences for all."

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Editors: The pope's speech in English is online at: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/january/documents/papa-francesco_20170109_corpo-diplomatico.html

The pope's speech in Spanish is online at: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/es/speeches/2017/january/documents/papa-francesco_20170109_corpo-diplomatico.html

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By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Parents are charged with guarding the faith given to their children at baptism and helping them become true witnesses by example rather than just rules, Pope Francis said.

By asking the church for faith for their children through the sacrament of baptism, Christian parents have the task of helping their children to grow so that they "may be witnesses for all of us: also for us priests, bishops, everyone," the pope said during a Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

During the Mass Jan. 8, the feast of the baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis baptized 28 infants -- 15 boys and 13 girls.

"Faith is not reciting the 'Creed' on Sunday when we go to Mass: It is not only this," the pope said. "Faith is believing that which is the truth: God the father who has sent his son and the Spirit which gives us life."

The pope's brief homily centered on the meaning of faith, which he described as a lifelong journey that "is lived" and leads to becoming a witness of Christ.

Parents, he continued, must also teach through their example that faith "means trusting in God."

While the pope spoke, the faint cries of a child echoed throughout the Sistine Chapel, causing a chain reaction of crying infants.

"The concert has begun!" the pope said jokingly. "It is because the children are in a place they do not know; they woke up earlier than usual. One begins with one note and then the others mimic. Some cry simply because another one cried."

Acknowledging that some babies might be crying because they are hungry, the pope urged the mothers to not be ashamed to breast-feed their children in the chapel.

"Mothers, nurse them without fear, with all normality, like Our Lady nursed Jesus," he told them.

Later, before praying the Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis said the feast of the Lord's baptism helps "us to the rediscover the beauty of being a baptized people."

The baptized, he said, are "sinners saved by the grace of Christ, truly inserted by the power of the Holy Spirit in the filial relationship of Jesus with the father and welcomed into the womb of mother church" where Christians are capable of being brothers and sisters with everyone.

Noting John the Baptist's feelings of unworthiness in baptizing Jesus, Pope Francis said John was aware "of the great distance between him and Jesus."

However, Jesus came into the world to bridge the gap between God and man and "to reunite that which was divided," he said.

After his baptism, Jesus begins his mission of salvation, which is characterized "by the style of a humble and meek servant, armed only with the strength of truth," he said.

All Christians, the pope added, are called to follow Jesus' style of proclaiming the Gospel without "shouting or scolding someone."

"True mission is never proselytism but rather attraction to Christ. But how? How is attraction to Christ done? With one's own witness that comes from a strong union with him through prayer, adoration and concrete charity, which is service to Jesus present in the least of our brothers," he said.

After reciting the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis prayed for the parents and for the children he baptized, as well as for a "young catechumen" he baptized Jan. 7 in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

The Vatican provided no further details about the young person.

"I invoke the Holy Spirit upon them and their children so that this sacrament, which is so simple yet at the same time so important, may be lived with faith and joy," the pope said.

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church is "very far" from a situation in which the pope is in need of "fraternal correction" because he has not put the faith and church teaching in danger, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Interviewed Jan. 9 on the Italian all-news channel, TGCom24, Cardinal Muller said Pope Francis' document on the family, "Amoris Laetitia," was "very clear" in its teaching.

In the document, the cardinal said, Pope Francis asks priests "to discern the situation of these persons living in an irregular union -- that is, not in accordance with the doctrine of the church on marriage -- and asks for help for these people to find a path for a new integration into the church according to the condition of the sacraments (and) the Christian message on matrimony."

In the papal document, he said, "I do not see any opposition: On one side we have the clear doctrine on matrimony, and on the other the obligation of the church to care for these people in difficulty."

The cardinal was interviewed about a formal request to Pope Francis for clarification about "Amoris Laetitia" and particularly its call for the pastoral accompaniment of people who are divorced and civilly remarried or who are living together without marriage. The request, called a "dubia," was written in September by U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, patron of the Knights of Malta, and three other cardinals. They published the letter in November after Pope Francis did not respond.

In an interview later, Cardinal Burke said the pope must respond to the "dubia" because they directly impact the faith and the teaching of the church. If there is no response, he said, a formal "correction of the pope" would be in order.

Cardinal Muller told the Italian television that "a possible fraternal correction of the pope seems very remote at this time because it does not concern a danger for the faith," which is the situation St. Thomas Aquinas described for fraternal correction. "It harms the church" for cardinals to so publicly challenge the pope, he said.

In his letter on the family, Pope Francis affirmed church teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, but he also urged pastors to provide spiritual guidance and assistance with discernment to Catholics who have married civilly without an annulment of their church marriage. A process of discernment, he has said, might eventually lead to a determination that access to the sacraments is possible.

The possibility reflects a change in church teaching on the indissolubility of marriage and the sinfulness of sexual relations outside a valid marriage, in the view of the document written by Cardinals Burke; Walter Brandmuller, a German and former president of the Pontifical Commission for Historical Sciences; Carlo Caffarra, retired archbishop of Bologna, Italy; and Joachim Meisner, retired archbishop of Cologne, Germany.

In the TGCom24 interview, Cardinal Muller said, "everyone, especially cardinals of the Roman church, have the right to write a letter to the pope. However, I was astonished that this became public, almost forcing the pope to say 'yes' or 'no'" to the cardinals' questions about what exactly the pope meant in "Amoris Laetitia."

"This, I don't like," Cardinal Muller said.

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By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Looking out over St. Peter's Square where icicles hung from usually bubbling fountains, Pope Francis prayed for the homeless.

The freeze in Rome, subzero temperatures in large parts of Europe and heavy snowfalls in many areas in early January forced the closure of roads and schools and were blamed for at least a dozen deaths.

"In these very cold days, I think and I invite you to think of the people who live on the streets, struck by the cold and, many times, by indifference," Pope Francis told people in St. Peter's Square Jan. 8.

"Unfortunately, some have not survived," the pope told people who had bundled up against the midday chill to recite the Angelus prayer with him. "Let us pray for them and ask the Lord to warm our hearts so that we can help them."

Because of the cold weather, the papal charities office instituted a 24-hour open-door policy at the shelters it runs with the Missionaries of Charity for homeless men and homeless women. Usually the shelters open in the evening and close in the morning.

Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner and point man for Pope Francis' aid to the homeless around the Vatican, was unavailable for comment Jan. 9. However, Italian media reported that he left a van and another automobile from his office unlocked and parked outside the Vatican over the weekend so the homeless could take turns using it for shelter.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- You fly more than 100 miles for love. You get rejected. You fly another 100 miles. Another rejection. And another....

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