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Pope Benedict XVI- Addresses |
 Papal
State of the Planet Address
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
"Fighting Poverty to Build Peace"
January 8, 2009
Following
is the traditional annual address Pope Benedict XVI delivered to
the members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The mystery of the incarnation of the Word, which we re-live
each year on the Solemnity of Christmas, invites us to reflect
on the events marking the course of history. And it is precisely
in the light of this hope-filled mystery that this traditional
meeting takes place with you, the distinguished members of the
diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See – a meeting which,
at the beginning of this new year, offers us a fitting occasion
to exchange cordial good wishes. I express my gratitude to His
Excellency Ambassador Alejandro Valladares Lanza for the good
wishes he has kindly offered me, for the first time as Dean of
the Diplomatic Corps. My respectful greeting also goes to each
of you, along with your families and staff, and, through you, to
the peoples and governments of the countries which you
represent. For everyone I ask God to grant the gift of a year
rich in justice, serenity and peace.
At the dawn of this year 2009, I think with affection of all
those who have suffered – whether as a result of grave natural
catastrophes, particularly in Vietnam, Myanmar, China and the
Philippines, in Central America and the Caribbean, and in
Columbia and Brazil; or as a result of violent national or
regional conflicts; or again as a result of terrorist attacks
which have sown death and destruction in countries like
Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Algeria. Despite so many
efforts, the peace we so desire still remains distant! Faced
with this reality, we must not grow discouraged or lessen our
commitment to a culture of authentic peace, but rather redouble
our efforts on behalf of security and development. In this
regard, the Holy See wished to be among the first to sign and
ratify the "Convention on Cluster Munitions", a document which
also has the aim of reaffirming international humanitarian law.
On the other hand, while noting with concern the signs of crisis
appearing in the area of disarmament and nuclear
non-proliferation, the Holy See has continued to reaffirm that
peace cannot be built when military expenses divert enormous
human and material resources from projects for development,
especially the development of the poorest peoples.
It is towards the poor, the all too many poor people on our
planet, that I would like to turn my attention today, taking up
my Message for the World Day of Peace, devoted this year to the
theme: "Fighting Poverty To Build Peace". The insightful
analysis of Pope Paul VI in the Encyclical Populorum Progressio
has lost none of its timeliness: "Today we see people trying to
secure a sure food supply, cures for disease, and steady
employment. We see them trying to eliminate every ill, to remove
every obstacle which offends man’s dignity. They are constantly
striving to exercise greater personal responsibility; to do
more, to learn more and to have more, in order to be more. And
yet, at the same time, so many people continue to live in
conditions which frustrate these legitimate desires" (No. 6). To
build peace, we need to give new hope to the poor. How can we
not think of so many individuals and families hard pressed by
the difficulties and uncertainties which the current financial
and economic crisis has provoked on a global scale? How can we
not mention the food crisis and global warming, which make it
even more difficult for those living in some of the poorest
parts of the planet to have access to nutrition and water? There
is an urgent need to adopt an effective strategy to fight hunger
and to promote local agricultural development, all the more so
since the number of the poor is increasing even within the rich
countries. In this perspective, I am pleased that the recent
Doha Conference on financing development identified some helpful
criteria for directing the governance of the economic system and
helping those who are most in need. On a deeper level,
bolstering the economy demands rebuilding confidence. This goal
will only be reached by implementing an ethics based on the
innate dignity of the human person. I know how demanding this
will be, yet it is not a utopia! Today more than in the past,
our future is at stake, as well as the fate of our planet and
its inhabitants, especially the younger generation which is
inheriting a severely compromised economic system and social
fabric.
Ladies and Gentlemen, if we wish to combat poverty, we must
invest first and foremost in the young, setting before them an
ideal of authentic fraternity. During my apostolic visits in the
past year, I was able to meet many young people, especially in
the extraordinary context of the celebration of the Twenty-third
World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia. My apostolic journeys,
beginning with my visit to the United States, also allowed me to
assess the expectations of many sectors of society with regard
to the Catholic Church. In this sensitive phase of the history
of humanity, marked by uncertainties and questioning, many
people expect the Church to exercise clearly and courageously
her mission of evangelization and her work of human promotion.
It was in this context that I gave my address at the
headquarters of the United Nations Organization: sixty years
after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
I wished to stress that this document is founded on the dignity
of the human person, which in turn is based on our shared human
nature, which transcends our different cultures. A few months
later, during my pilgrimage to Lourdes for the hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the appearances of the Virgin Mary to
Saint Bernadette, I sought to emphasize that the message of
conversion and love which radiates from the grotto of
Massabielle remains most timely, as a constant invitation to
build our own lives and the relations between the world’s
peoples on the foundation of authentic respect and fraternity,
in the awareness that this fraternity presupposes that all men
and women have a common Father, God the Creator. Moreover, a
society which is "secular" in a healthy way does not ignore the
spiritual dimension and its values, since religion – and I
thought it helpful to repeat this during my pastoral visit to
France – is not an obstacle but rather a solid foundation for
the building of a more just and free society.
Acts of discrimination and the very grave attacks directed at
thousands of Christians in this past year show to what extent it
is not merely material poverty, but also moral poverty, which
damages peace. Such abuses, in fact, are rooted in moral
poverty. As a way of reaffirming the lofty contribution which
religions can make to the struggle against poverty and the
building of peace, I would like to repeat in this assembly,
which symbolically represents all the nations of the world, that
Christianity is a religion of freedom and peace, and it stands
at the service of the true good of humanity. To our brothers and
sisters who are victims of violence, especially in Iraq and in
India, I renew the assurance of my paternal affection; to the
civil and political authorities, I urgently request that they be
actively committed to ending intolerance and acts of harassment
directed against Christians, to repairing the damage which has
been done, particularly to the places of worship and properties;
and to encouraging by every means possible due respect for all
religions, outlawing all forms of hatred and contempt. I also
express my hope that, in the Western world, prejudice or
hostility against Christians will not be cultivated simply
because, on certain questions, their voice causes disquiet. For
their part, may the disciples of Christ, in the face of such
adversity, not lose heart: witness to the Gospel is always a
"sign of contradiction" vis-à-vis "the spirit of the world"! If
the trials and tribulations are painful, the constant presence
of Christ is a powerful source of strength. Christ’s Gospel is a
saving message meant for all; that is why it cannot be confined
to the private sphere, but must be proclaimed from the rooftops,
to the ends of the earth.
The birth of Christ in the lowly stable of Bethlehem leads us
naturally to think of the situation in the Middle East and, in
the first place, in the Holy Land, where, in these days, we have
witnessed a renewed outbreak of violence provoking immense
damage and suffering for the civilian population. This situation
further complicates the quest for a settlement of the conflict
between Israelis and Palestinians, something fervently desired
by many of them and by the whole world. Once again I would
repeat that military options are no solution and that violence,
wherever it comes from and whatever form it takes, must be
firmly condemned. I express my hope that, with the decisive
commitment of the international community, the ceasefire in the
Gaza strip will be re-established – an indispensable condition
for restoring acceptable living conditions to the population –,
and that negotiations for peace will resume, with the rejection
of hatred, acts of provocation and the use of arms. It is very
important that, in view of the crucial elections which will
involve many of the inhabitants of the region in coming months,
leaders will emerge who can decisively carry forward this
process and guide their people towards the difficult yet
indispensable reconciliation. This cannot be reached without the
adoption of a global approach to the problems of these
countries, with respect for the legitimate aspirations and
interests of all parties. In addition to renewed efforts aimed
at the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which I
have just mentioned, wholehearted support must be given to
dialogue between Israel and Syria and, in Lebanon, to the
current strengthening of institutions; this will be all the more
effective if it is carried out in a spirit of unity. To the
Iraqis, who are preparing again to take full control of their
future, I offer a particular word of encouragement to turn the
page and to look forward in order to rebuild without
discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic group or religion.
As far as Iran is concerned, tireless efforts must be made to
seek a negotiated solution to the controversy concerning the
nation’s nuclear programme, through a mechanism capable of
satisfying the legitimate demands of the country and of the
international community. This would greatly favour détente in
the region and in the world.
Looking to the great continent of Asia, I note with concern
that, while in certain countries acts of violence continue, and
in others the political situation remains tense, some progress
has been made, enabling us to look to the future with greater
confidence. I think for example of the new negotiations for
peace in Mindanao, in the Philippines, and the new direction
being taken in relations between Beijing and Taipei. In this
same context of the quest for peace, a definitive solution of
the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka would also have to be
political, since the humanitarian needs of the peoples concerned
must continue to receive ongoing attention. The Christian
communities living in Asia are often numerically small, yet they
wish to contribute in a convincing and effective way to the
common good, stability and progress of their countries, as they
bear witness to the primacy of God which sets up a healthy order
of values and grants a freedom more powerful than acts of
injustice. The recent beatification, in Japan, of 188 martyrs
brought this eloquently to mind. The Church, as has often been
said, does not demand privileges, but the full application of
the principle of religious freedom. In this perspective, it is
important that, in central Asia, legislation concerning
religious communities guarantee the full exercise of this
fundamental right, in respect for international norms.
In a few months, I will have the joy of meeting many of our
brothers and sisters in the faith and in our common humanity who
dwell in Africa. In anticipation of this visit, which I have so
greatly desired, I ask the Lord to open their hearts to welcome
the Gospel and to live it consistently, building peace by
fighting moral and material poverty. A very particular concern
must be shown for children: twenty years after the adoption of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, they remain very
vulnerable. Many children have the tragic experience of being
refugees and displaced persons in Somalia, Darfur and the
Democratic Republic of Congo. There are waves of migration
involving millions of persons in need of humanitarian assistance
and who above all have been deprived of their elementary rights
and offended in their dignity. I ask political leaders on the
national and international levels to take every measure
necessary to resolve the current conflicts and to put an end to
the injustices which caused them. I express my hope that in
Somalia the restoration of the State will finally make progress,
in order to end the interminable sufferings of the inhabitants
of that country. In Zimbabwe, likewise, the situation remains
critical and considerable humanitarian assistance is needed. The
peace agreement in Burundi has brought a glimmer of hope to the
region. I ask that it be applied fully, and thus become a source
of inspiration for other countries which have not yet found the
path of reconciliation. The Holy See, as you know, follows with
special attention the continent of Africa and is pleased to have
established diplomatic relations with Botswana in the past year.
In this vast panorama embracing the whole world, I wish likewise
to dwell for a moment on Latin America. There too, people desire
to live in peace, liberated from poverty and able freely to
exercise their fundamental rights. In this context, the needs of
emigrants need to be taken into consideration by legislation
which would make it easier to reunite families, reconciling the
legitimate requirements of security with those of inviolable
respect for the person. I would also like to praise the
overriding commitment shown by some governments towards
re-establishing the rule of law and waging an uncompromising
battle against the drug trade and political corruption. I am
pleased that, thirty years after the start of the papal
mediation between Argentina and Chile concerning their dispute
over the southern territories, those two countries have in some
way sealed their desire for peace by raising a monument to my
venerable predecessor, Pope John Paul II. I hope, moreover, that
the recent signing of the Agreement between the Holy See and
Brazil will facilitate the free exercise of the Church’s mission
of evangelization and further strengthen her cooperation with
the civil institutions for an integral human development. For
five centuries the Church has accompanied the peoples of Latin
America, sharing their hopes and their concerns. Her Pastors
know that, to favour the authentic progress of society, their
proper task is to enlighten consciences and to form lay men and
women capable of engaging responsibly in temporal affairs, at
the service of the common good.
Turning lastly to the nations which are nearer at hand, I wish
to greet the Christian community of Turkey, while recalling
that, during this special Holy Year marking the two-thousandth
anniversary of the birth of the Apostle Paul, numerous pilgrims
are making their way to Tarsus, his native city, a fact which
once more indicates how closely this land is linked to the
origins of Christianity. The hope of peace is alive in Cyprus,
where negotiations for a just solution to problems associated
with the division of the Island have resumed. As for the
Caucasus, I wish to affirm once more that the conflicts
involving the states of the Region cannot be settled by recourse
to arms; and, in thinking of Georgia, I express my hope that all
the commitments subscribed to in the ceasefire of last August –
an agreement concluded thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the
European Union – will be honoured, and that the return of the
displaced to their homes will be provided for as quickly as
possible. Finally, with regard to the Southeast of Europe, the
Holy See pursues its commitment to stability in the region, and
hopes that conditions will continue to be created for a future
of reconciliation and of peace between the populations of Serbia
and Kosovo, with respect for minorities and commitment to the
preservation of the priceless Christian artistic and cultural
patrimony which constitutes a treasure for all humanity.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at the conclusion of this overview which,
due to its brevity, cannot mention all the situations of
suffering and poverty close to my heart, I return to my Message
for the celebration of this year’s World Day of Peace. There I
recalled that the poorest human beings are unborn children (No.
3). But I cannot fail to mention, in conclusion, others who are
poor, like the infirm, the elderly left to themselves, broken
families and those lacking points of reference. Poverty is
fought if humanity becomes more fraternal as a result of shared
values and ideals, founded on the dignity of the person, on
freedom joined to responsibility, on the effective recognition
of the place of God in the life of man. In this perspective, let
us fix our gaze on Jesus, the lowly infant lying in the manger.
Because he is the Son of God, he tells us that fraternal
solidarity between all men and women is the royal road to
fighting poverty and to building peace. May the light of his
love illumine all government leaders and all humanity! May that
light guide us throughout this year which has now begun! I wish
all of you a happy New Year.
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Look at the One they
Pierced!
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