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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with newly accredited non resident Ambassadors to the Holy See telling them that those who hold public office at national and international levels are called to cultivate a nonviolent style in their consciences and in the exercise of their duties.  

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Below find the English translation of the Pope's discourse to the Ambassadors

Your Excellencies,

I am pleased to receive you for presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Holy See on the part of your respective countries: Burundi, Fiji, Mauritius, Moldova, Sweden and Tunisia.  I thank you for your kind words, which attest to your desire to maintain and develop the relations of esteem and cooperation which you enjoy with the Holy See, and I ask you to convey to the Heads of State whom you represent my gratitude and the assurance of my prayers for them and for their nations.

You have come from distant and very different areas of the world.  Here in Rome this is always a source of satisfaction, since the horizon of the Holy See is intrinsically universal.  This is due to the vocation and mission entrusted by God to the Successor of the Apostle Peter, a mission that is essentially religious, yet in the course of history has also involved relations with states and those who govern them.  The Catholic Church, whose centre of unity and direction is found, as it were, in the Holy See, is called to pass on and bear witness to those spiritual and moral values grounded in the very nature of human beings and society, and which, as such, can be shared by all those committed to the pursuit of the common good.

Preeminent among these values is that of peace, as seen in the fact that for fifty years now, the Popes have dedicated the first day of January to peace, addressing a special Message to the world’s civil and religious authorities, and to all men and women of goodwill.  The Message for the coming World Day of Peace, published just three days ago, has as its theme: Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace.  The happy occasion of our meeting today allows me to share with you some brief reflections on that theme.

Nonviolence is a typical example of a universal value that finds fulfilment in the Gospel of Christ but is also a part of other noble and ancient spiritual traditions.  In a world like our own, sadly marked by wars and numerous conflicts, to say nothing of widespread violence evident in various ways in day-to-day life, the choice of nonviolence as a style of life is increasingly demanded in the exercise of responsibility at every level, from family education, to social and civil commitment, to political activity and international relations.  In every situation, this means rejecting violence as a method for resolving conflicts and dealing with them instead through dialogue and negotiation.

In a particular way, those who hold public office on the national and international levels are called to cultivate a nonviolent style in their consciences and in the exercise of their duties.  This is not the same as weakness or passivity; rather it presupposes firmness, courage and the ability to face issues and conflicts with intellectual honesty, truly seeking the common good over and above all partisan interest, be it ideological, economic or political.  In the course of the past century, marred by wars and genocides of unheard-of proportions, we have nonetheless seen outstanding examples of how nonviolence, embraced with conviction and practised consistently, can yield significant results, also on the social and political plane.  Some peoples, and indeed entire nations, thanks to the efforts of nonviolent leaders, peacefully achieved the goals of freedom and justice.  This is the path to pursue now and in the future.  This is the way of peace.  Not a peace proclaimed by words but in fact denied by pursuing strategies of domination, backed up by scandalous outlays for arms, while so many people lack the very necessities of life. Dear Ambassadors, it is my desire, and that of the Holy See, to advance, together with the governments of your countries, this process of promoting peace and those other values that contribute to the integral development of individuals and society.  With this in mind, I now offer you my heartfelt best wishes for the mission that you begin today, while assuring you of the ready cooperation of the Roman Curia.  Upon you and your families, and upon your respective countries, I invoke an abundance of divine blessings.

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Throughout the country’s history, Burmese officials have maintained control “through a divide and rule strategy, pitting Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims against each other,” said Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in a Dec. 13 discussion in Washington, D.C. “The plight of both Rohingya Muslims and Christians results from successive governments that have both perpetuated and supported religious violations,” Fr. Reese continued. “It’s time for Burma to defend religious freedom,” he urged.

Two reports by the organization highlight the abuses suffered by religious minorities in Burma, also known as Myanmar, as well as by practitioners of the majority Buddhist religion who dissent from the mainline practice or government positions. Christians in the country face discrimination, forced conversions, violence and desecration of churches and Christian communities says the USCIRF Report “Hidden Plight: Christian Minorities in Burma.” Meanwhile, according to “Suspended in Time: The Ongoing Persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Burma,” members of the Muslim ethnic group are denied basic human rights like food, shelter, water, citizenship, or the ability to move.

The reports come days after international human rights organization Human Rights Watch released an analysis of images taken of a Rohingya village in Rakhine state, which it says link the Burmese army to the arson of the village. "Burmese government officials have been caught out by this satellite imagery, and it's time they recognize their continued denials lack credibility,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, in a statement to the BBC. The Burmese government has denied its involvement in the burning down of Rohingya villages, instead suggesting that the Rohingya set their own homes on fire to solicit international sympathy.

The United Nations estimates that since October more than 27,000 Rohingya have crossed the border to seek refuge in Bangladesh. Since 1999, USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Burma a “Country of Particular Concern” for its “systematic, egregious, and ongoing violations of religious freedom,” explained the organization. In its reports, the commission offered hope that the new Burmese government would address these ongoing human rights concerns, but urged that the government take action on securing religious freedom promptly.

Rachel Flemming, an independent human rights researcher, detailed the abuses Christians – many of whom also belong to minority ethnic groups – face in the country. Throughout the country, Christians face restrictions in not only buying land for churches or for erecting Christian symbols, but also to assemble for religious worship. Christian churches, cemeteries, and other Christian spaces are frequently desecrated and attacked. Christians themselves are attacked by authorities and civilians alike – and these attacks are often dismissed as false claims.

Meanwhile, while forced conversions at gunpoint are no longer seen in the country, Flemming said, “a more subtle forced conversion” campaign is run through the military school system in some Christian areas. These schools – run through the military – fill crucial gaps in rural Christian areas for secondary education, offer education free of charge, and promise students in these impoverished areas a guaranteed job within the government after graduation – but only if the student converts to Buddhism. Furthermore, while at these boarding schools, students are prohibited from attending Christian worship services, and are required to be initiated as Buddhist monks or nuns.

Tina Mufford, Senior Policy Analyst for USCIRF, detailed the longstanding discrimination and targeting of the Rohingya Muslims within Burma. Since 1982, Burmese law has defined the Rohingya people as non-citizens, providing cover for a broad array of violence and attacks to be carried out against them with impunity. “Rohingya Muslims face a difficult day-to-day existence with little ability to honor their past, prosper in the present, or make plans for their future,” Mufford said, citing the USCIRF report. “Burma’s government can choose to move forward,” she said, “or it can sit behind excuses.”

(Source: CNA/EWTN News)

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(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has released his message for the 25th World Day of the Sick to take place on 11 February 2017, the commemoration of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The Day of the Sick was instituted by Pope St. John Paul II in 1992, who called it “a special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one’s suffering”.

Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:

Pope Francis entitled his message for the 2017 celebration of the World Day of the Sick “Amazement at what God has accomplished: ‘The Almighty has done great things for me…’ (Lk 1:49)”.

He said the commemoration “gives the Church renewed spiritual energy for carrying out ever more fully that fundamental part of her mission which includes serving the poor, the infirm, the suffering, the outcast, and the marginalized.”

The Pope also expressed his “closeness to all of you, our suffering brothers and sisters, and to your families, as well as my appreciation for all those in different roles of service and in healthcare institutions throughout the world who work with professionalism, responsibility, and dedication for your care, treatment and daily well-being.”

He said all the infirm and those who help them should look to Mary, “Health of the Infirm, the sure sign of God’s love for every human being and a model of surrender to his will.”

Mary’s apparition at Lourdes to the “poor, illiterate, and ill” Bernadette, he said, reminds us “that every person is, and always remains, a human being, and is to be treated as such. The sick and the those who are disabled, even severely, have their own inalienable dignity and mission in life.”

In his message, the Holy Father said God’s solicitude for “the world of suffering and sickness” is revealed in Jesus.

“The solidarity shown by Christ, the Son of God born of Mary, is the expression of God’s merciful omnipotence, which is made manifest in our life – above all when that life is frail, pain-filled, humbled, marginalized, and suffering – and fills it with the power of hope that can sustain us and enable us to get up again.”

He said the celebration of the World Day of the Sick should provide “new incentive to work for the growth of a culture of respect for life, health and the environment” and “inspire renewed efforts to defend the integrity and dignity of persons, not least through a correct approach to bioethical issues, the protection of the vulnerable and the protection of the environment.”

Finally, Pope Francis invited the sick, healthcare workers, and volunteers to turn to Mary in prayer.

He said, “May her maternal intercession sustain and accompany our faith, and obtain for us from Christ her Son hope along our journey of healing and of health, a sense of fraternity and responsibility, a commitment to integral human development, and the joy of feeling gratitude whenever God amazes us by his fidelity and his mercy.”

He concluded the message with a short prayer to Our Lady:

Mary, our Mother,

in Christ you welcome each of us as a son or daughter.

Sustain the trusting expectation of our hearts,

succour us in our infirmities and sufferings,

and guide us to Christ, your Son and our brother.

Help us to entrust ourselves to the Father who accomplishes great things.

Please find below the text of Pope Francis’ message:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On 11 February next, the Twenty-fifth World Day of the Sick will be celebrated throughout the Church and in a special way at Lourdes.  The theme of this year’s celebration is “Amazement at what God has accomplished: ‘The Almighty has done great things for me….’” (Lk 1:49).  Instituted by my predecessor Saint John Paul II in 1992, and first celebrated at Lourdes on 11 February 1993, this Day is an opportunity to reflect in particular on the needs of the sick and, more generally, of all those who suffer.  It is also an occasion for those who generously assist the sick, beginning with family members, health workers and volunteers, to give thanks for their God-given vocation of accompanying our infirm brothers and sisters.  This celebration likewise gives the Church renewed spiritual energy for carrying out ever more fully that fundamental part of her mission which includes serving the poor, the infirm, the suffering, the outcast and the marginalized (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Motu Proprio Dolentium Hominum, 11 February 1985, 1).  Surely, the moments of prayer, the Eucharistic liturgies and the celebrations of the Anointing of the Sick, the sharing with the sick and the bioethical and theological-pastoral workshops to be held in Lourdes in those days will make new and significant contributions to that service.

Even now, I am spiritually present at the grotto of Massabielle, before the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, in whom the Almighty has done great things for the redemption of mankind.  I express my closeness to all of you, our suffering brothers and sisters, and to your families, as well as my appreciation for all those in different roles of service and in healthcare institutions throughout the world who work with professionalism, responsibility and dedication for your care, treatment and daily well-being.   I encourage all of you, the sick, the suffering, physicians, nurses, family members and volunteers, to see in Mary, Health of the Infirm, the sure sign of God’s love for every human being and a model of surrender to his will.  May you always find in faith, nourished by the Word and by the Sacraments, the strength needed to love God, even in the experience of illness.

Like Saint Bernadette, we stand beneath the watchful gaze of Mary.  The humble maiden of Lourdes tells us that the Virgin, whom she called “the Lovely Lady”, looked at her as one person looks at another.  Those simple words describe the fullness of a relationship.  Bernadette, poor, illiterate and ill, felt that Mary was looking at her as a person.  The Lovely Lady spoke to her with great respect and without condescension.  This reminds us that every person is, and always remains, a human being, and is to be treated as such.  The sick and the those who are disabled, even severely, have their own inalienable dignity and mission in life.  They never become simply objects.  If at times they appear merely passive, in reality that is never the case.

After her visit to the Grotto, thanks to her prayer, Bernadette turned her frailty into support for others.  Thanks to her love, she was able to enrich her neighbours and, above all, to offer her life for the salvation of humanity.  The fact that the Lovely Lady asked her to pray for sinners reminds us that the infirm and the suffering desire not only to be healed, but also to live a truly Christian life, even to the point of offering it as authentic missionary disciples of Christ.  Mary gave Bernadette the vocation of serving the sick and called her to become a Sister of Charity, a mission that she carried out in so exemplary a way as to become a model for every healthcare worker.  Let us ask Mary Immaculate for the grace always to relate to the sick as persons who certainly need assistance, at times even for the simplest of things, but who have a gift of their own to share with others.

The gaze of Mary, Comfort of the Afflicted, brightens the face of the Church in her daily commitment to the suffering and those in need.  The precious fruits of this solicitude for the world of suffering and sickness are a reason for gratitude to the Lord Jesus, who out of obedience to the will of the Father became one of us, even enduring death on the cross for the redemption of humanity.  The solidarity shown by Christ, the Son of God born of Mary, is the expression of God’s merciful omnipotence, which is made manifest in our life – above all when that life is frail, pain-filled, humbled, marginalized and suffering – and fills it with the power of hope that can sustain us and enable us to get up again.

This great wealth of humanity and faith must not be dissipated.  Instead, it should inspire us to speak openly of our human weaknesses and to address the challenges of present-day healthcare and technology.  On this World Day of the Sick, may we find new incentive to work for the growth of a culture of respect for life, health and the environment.  May this Day also inspire renewed efforts to defend the integrity and dignity of persons, not least through a correct approach to bioethical issues, the protection of the vulnerable and the protection of the environment.

On this Twenty-fifth World Day of the Sick, I once more offer my prayerful support and encouragement to physicians, nurses, volunteers and all those consecrated men and women committed to serving the sick and those in need.  I also embrace the ecclesial and civil institutions working to this end, and the families who take loving care of their sick.  I pray that all may be ever joyous signs of the presence of God’s love and imitate the luminous testimony of so many friends of God, including Saint John of God and Saint Camillus de’ Lellis, the patrons of hospitals and healthcare workers, and Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, missionary of God’s love.

Dear brothers and sisters – the sick, healthcare workers and volunteers – I ask you to join me in praying to Mary.  May her maternal intercession sustain and accompany our faith, and obtain for us from Christ her Son hope along our journey of healing and of health, a sense of fraternity and responsibility, a commitment to integral human development and the joy of feeling gratitude whenever God amazes us by his fidelity and his mercy.

Mary, our Mother,

in Christ you welcome each of us as a son or daughter.

Sustain the trusting expectation of our hearts,

succour us in our infirmities and sufferings,

and guide us to Christ, your Son and our brother.

Help us to entrust ourselves to the Father who accomplishes great things.

With the assurance of a constant remembrance in my prayers, I cordially impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing.

8 December 2016, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday greeted young patients, their families and hospital staff of Rome’s ‘Bambino Gesù’ Children’s Hospital and encouraged them to nurture hope and to say ‘thank you’ to God for having shown us the way to give meaning to our human existence.

Amongst the hundreds of children at the audience receiving care from the Vatican hospital, were young patients from across the world including 15 kids from the Central African Republic where the ‘Bambino Gesù’ has a special cooperation project like the ones in Jordan and in Palestine which reach out to give medical assistance to refugee children from Syria and Iraq.

The packed audience that took place in the Paul VI Hall was opened by ‘Bambino Gesù’ President Mariella Enoc who spoke about how the hospital has a system stretches well beyond regional and national boundaries with Centers in impoverished Italian regions and with numerous international missions in developing nations.

She explained that today the ‘Bambino Gesù’ is present in 12 countries, with the goal of providing care and passing on its experience in the poorest areas of the world. 

Pope Francis then listened to questions asked by Valentina, to an appeal made by Dino, to the words of Serena and to the doubts raised by Luca who is at the beginning of his professional and human experience as a pediatric nurse.

He told Valentina, who is also a nurse, that he has no answer to her question ‘why do children suffer?’: “I do not have the answer” he said.  Not even Jesus had an answer to this question.  But Jesus, he said, shows us the way to give meaning to our human experience; he himself suffered offering his own life for our salvation. All we can do, the Pope said, is to be close to the child who suffers, cry with him, pray with him, look to the crucified Jesus. 

He also urged Christians searching for a balm for those who are close to those who suffer never to neglect the value of gratitude and to always say ‘thank you’.

“To say thank you is a medicine against bouts of hopelessness, which is a contagious ailment” he said.

To say thank you is to nurture hope, the Pope continued, and hope is the ‘fuel’ of Christian life that allows us to go forward every day.

To Dino, a ‘Bambino Gesù’ staff member who was asking for greater spaces to offer the patients of the hospital, the Pope said: “It is essential to open one’s heart: Providence will find concrete spaces!” 

But he also took the occasion to warn against the temptation of transforming a hospital into a place in which to do business, a place where doctors and nurses become profiteers saying “one of the worst cancers in a hospital is corruption.

With strong words and strong tones against what he called a profit-driven health industry that deceives many, the Pope reiterated that we are all sinners, but we must learn from children and never be corrupt. 

And to Luca who is beginning his career as a pediatric nurse the Pope said: “follow your dreams”; never stop doing good and never give up your wish to give life to great projects.

“A life without dreams is not worthy of God, a life that is tired, resigned and lacking enthusiasm is not Christian” he said.

And finally, to Serena, a former oncological patient of the Children’s Hospital who is studying to become a doctor, the Pope spoke of the special strength and joy of those who dedicated their lives and their talents for others: “this is a gift” he said. 

He recalled an Italian nun whom he said saved his life when, as a young man in Buenos Aires he was struck by a severe case of pneumonia. The Pope spoke of her joyfulness and of the joy that derives of “sowing life, of helping young lives to grow, of giving to others”.

“This, he said, will be your best stipend!”

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Washington D.C., Dec 15, 2016 / 03:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- You might have seen an Army chaplain devoutly praying the rosary on the sideline during Saturday's Army-Navy football game. Who was he and what was he praying for? 

“I always pray for both our teams, for no serious injury on either team. And I pray for the kids on both teams, and just for their holiness and their salvation,” Fr. Matthew Pawlikowski, chaplain of the United States Military Academy at West Point, told CNA. 

“And then I ask for Army's victory,” he added. 

Saturday's Army-Navy game was the 117th meeting between the teams, held at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. It is an annual tradition attended by Midshipmen and Cadets who will serve in the United States military after college. 

Army won for the first time in 15 years, 21-17.

Fr. Pawlikowski was seen kneeling on the sideline late in the game during its crucial moments praying a rosary. He noted that he always prays a rosary at the academy's football games, but at Saturday's game against Navy he prayed a full rosary, all four sets of mysteries. 

After the game, he admitted that he prayed for the defeated Navy players too. 

Why the West Point chaplain was kneeling with his Rosary during the Army-Navy game... - https://t.co/sBRmV1IDlM

— New Advent (@newadvent) December 12, 2016 “I was glad that we won, but I did pray for Navy, and especially for their seniors, their 'Firsties.' They wanted to win just as much as we do,” he said. “So what if they've won 14 years in a row? That senior class, it's important to them to beat Army.”

 

While he has been the senior chaplain at West Point for two years – the first Catholic to hold the position – Fr. Pawlikowski has actually been serving as an active-duty Army chaplain since 2000.

“I love being a priest. And I love being a priest for soldiers. It is a great life. It's a manly life. It's satisfying,” he told CNA. 

The youngest of seven children, he grew up Catholic and considered the priesthood in high school before attending college at West Point. He served in the Army infantry for six years and entered the seminary for the Diocese of Newark after his time there. 

After three years as a parish priest, he became an active-duty Army chaplain in 2000. His assignments have brought him around the U.S. and to Egypt, Afghanistan, and Germany. 

Now, at West Point, “I supervise the entire religious program for the commanding general of the post,” he said. 

What are some of the unique joys and challenges of being a military chaplain? 

Fr. Pawlikowski likened it to “being a missionary,” given that there is a “military subculture” within society. Just as one can’t fully understand the Catholic Church from an outsider’s perspective, the military is the “same way,” he said.  

“American soldiers are awesome,” he said. “We have these young people that step forward at risk of themselves, at risk of their own safety, their family’s safety, and they do things to protect the rest of the country, to serve the country.”

“They don’t get paid what they’re worth,” he added. “There’s really a sense of service about them, which is absolutely beautiful.”

And it is “pretty much a large young adult ministry,” he noted, as many soldiers are ages 18 to 24. 

At West Point in particular, Fr. Pawlikowski realizes that as senior chaplain, he is forming the future leaders of the country. 

“We’re shaping them who end up shaping our country,” he said. “God can use the United States military for the holiness of our country and even for the salvation of our country. So that’s not a bad job to have.”

However, it is a “missionary” life as many young cadets may not even be practicing their faith. “Most young males are away from the Church. And that’s most of our soldiers,” he said, noting increasing numbers of young people who are Atheists, secularists, or “unchurched” Christians. 

Yet among those who are practicing Catholics, he noted, “I am seeing what Pope Benedict XVI predicted. He said that in our lifetime, we are going to see a smaller and yet more vibrant Church.”

“The folks that are zealous are amazing. They are so far ahead of me and where I was at their age,” he said, describing them as “knowledgeable,” “devout,” “pious,” and “respectful.”

Military chaplains have to minister to soldiers anywhere – at the gym, at work, or out in the field training. They have to be in “good physical shape” and “learn how to operate in a combat environment,” Fr. Pawlikowski said, “so that we can be there for those people when they need it.”

How does he normally evangelize? 

“We give witness to the faith, first and foremost, by who we are,” Fr. Pawlikowski said, noting that “when soldiers see that you’re there with them” in “rotten” conditions in rain, snow, and freezing weather, “then they see that you’re one of them…that’s the beauty of the chaplaincy.”

“A lot of the military chaplaincy is geared specifically to that, that we should never have any of our young Americans who are willing to risk their lives for our safety and our security have to face death, or at least the threat of death, without the presence of the sacraments available to them. And the presence of one of God’s priests available to them,” he said. 

He keeps a picture – on the back of his prayer book and over his altar – of a priest friend of his administering the sacrament of Extreme Unction to a bloody-faced Marine on a table waiting to be operated on. 

It’s like Christ as the Good Samaritan, he said, who “comes into the midst of the messiness” to heal those broken by the world and by sin. 

Who are some of his favorite saints and what are his favorite devotions? 

Fr. Pawlikowski considers his “secondary vocation” to promote the story of Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun, who ministered to troops in the U.S. Army Eighth Cavalry Regiment during the war in Korea. He wrote letters home for wounded soldiers to their families.

Fr. Emil was captured by Chinese troops, and as a prisoner of war he administered the sacraments to fellow prisoners. He died in the prisoner of war camp in 1951, and his cause for beatification is under review. 

Other saints who Fr. Pawlikowski promotes are those who had a military background like St. Joan of Arc, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Maurice, and St. Sebastian. He has had a devotion to St. Michael “since before I can remember.”

“I’m consecrated to the Blessed Mother. I love her dearly, I love the rosary,” he added, noting that it’s a “battle prayer” as Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant that we bring with us into spiritual battle.

And what of his praying for an Army victory on Saturday?

“There’s not a thing in the world that God doesn’t care about,” he said. “I don’t think it’s immature to think that God really does care in ways that we can’t begin to understand. So I always tell people you can ask God for anything you want – you can’t ask for evil and He won’t give you evil.”

“But anything that’s important to you is important to God, He’s your father. What father is not concerned about anything his children ask for?” he said. “Now a good father doesn’t give us everything we ask for. And part of growing up is learning to realize ‘hey, if my father gives it to me, it’s good. And if he doesn’t, he’s got his reasons.’”

“But we can certainly ask, and I certainly did ask. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

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Vatican City, Dec 15, 2016 / 05:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday Pope Francis accepted the credentials of six new ambassadors to the Holy See, urging them to work toward promoting the common good in their respective countries by adopting tactics of nonviolence at a political level.

“In a particular way, those who hold public office on the national and international levels are called to cultivate a nonviolent style in their consciences and in the exercise of their duties,” the Pope said in the Dec. 15 audience.

“This is not the same as weakness or passivity; rather it presupposes firmness, courage and the ability to face issues and conflicts with intellectual honesty, truly seeking the common good over and above all partisan interest, be it ideological, economic or political.”

The six new ambassadors met with Pope Francis in the Clementine Hall in the Vatican. They are from Sweden, Fiji, Moldova, Mauritius, Tunisia and Burundi.

His audience with the diplomats took place as violence and instability plague many areas of the world, including Burundi, which has maintained only a precarious peace in the 10 years since the country underwent an incredibly violent 12-year long civil war.

It also fell just three days after the release of his massage for the next World Day of Peace, celebrated Jan. 1 of every year, and which in 2017 will focus on the theme of nonviolence. Instituted by Bl. Paul VI in 1968, the message is sent to all foreign ministers around the world, and indicates the Holy See’s diplomatic tone during the coming year.

Speaking to the ambassadors, Francis stressed that despite the various conflicts raging throughout the world, peace is achievable, as seen in the examples and efforts of some national and international leaders in the world.

“In the course of the past century, marred by wars and genocides of unheard-of proportions, we have nonetheless seen outstanding examples of how nonviolence, embraced with conviction and practiced consistently, can yield significant results, also on the social and political plane,” he said.

Specific figures cited by the Pope in his message for peace included St. Teresa of Calcutta, Mahatma Ghandi, Pashtun independence activist Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Martin Luther King Jr. and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee.

“Some peoples, and indeed entire nations, thanks to the efforts of nonviolent leaders, peacefully achieved the goals of freedom and justice,” he said.

Francis then explained that peace can’t be achieved merely through words alone, but must be pursued through the refusal to participate in a politics of domination and in arms trafficking. This is especially true, he said, when many people in the country may be lacking in the basic necessities for life, such as the case in Venezuela.

“This is the path to pursue now and in the future. This is the way of peace,” he said.

The fact that the new ambassadors come from very different parts of the world, “is always a source of satisfaction” in Rome, the Pope said, “since the horizon of the Holy See is intrinsically universal.”

“This is due to the vocation and mission entrusted by God to the Successor of the Apostle Peter, a mission that is essentially religious, yet in the course of history has also involved relations with states and those who govern them.”

Although the Holy See governs the Vatican City State, the Pope explained that its primary values are spiritual and moral, not temporal, as is usually the case for Sovereign States.

In the Holy See is found the “center of unity and direction of the Catholic Church,” he said.

Because of this, it is called “to pass on and bear witness to those spiritual and moral values grounded in the very nature of human beings and society, and which, as such, can be shared by all those committed to the pursuit of the common good.”

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