VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXVI - # 5
DATE 11-01-2016

Summary:
- To the Diplomatic Corps: the Holy See will never cease its efforts to take
the
voice of peace to the ends of the earth
- Baptisms in the Sistine Chapel: offer your children the legacy of faith
- Angelus: the importance of celebrating the day of our Baptism
- Holy Father's calendar for January and February
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

 To the Diplomatic Corps: the Holy See will never cease its efforts to take the
voice of peace to the ends of the earth
 Vatican City, 11 January 2016 (VIS) - Today in the Sala Regia of the Vatican
Apostolic Palace the Holy Father today received in audience in the the
Diplomatic Corps accredited at the Holy See for the traditional new year
exchange of greetings. The Pope was first greeted by the new dean of the
Diplomatic Corps, Armindo Fernandes do Espirito Santo Vieira, ambassador of
Angola, and began his discourse by mentioning the diplomats who died during
this
last month, the ambassadors of Cuba, Rodney Alejandro Lopez Clemente, and of
Liberia, Rudolf P. von Ballmoos. He also welcomed those attending for the first
time, noting that the number of ambassadors resident in Rome has increased
during the last year. "It is an important sign of the interest with which the
international community follows the diplomatic activity of the Holy See", he
remarked.
 Further proof of this interest is offered by the international agreements
signed or ratified during the course of the year. In particular, Francis
mentioned the agreements of a fiscal nature with Italy and the United States of
America, "reflecting the increased commitment of the Holy See to greater
transparency in economic matters. No less important are the more general
agreements aimed at regulating essential aspects of the Church's life and
activity in different countries, such as the agreement sealed in Dili with the
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste". He also cited the exchange of instruments
of ratification of the agreement with Chad on the legal status of the Catholic
Church in that country and the agreement signed and ratified with Palestine,
which together with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of
State and the Foreign Affairs Minister of Kuwait, demonstrate "how peaceful
co-existence between the followers of different religions is possible when
religious freedom is recognised and practical cooperation in the pursuit of the
common good, in a spirit of respect for the cultural identity of all parties,
is
effectively guaranteed".
 The Pope emphasised that the authentic practice of religion cannot fail to
promote peace. "The mystery of the Incarnation shows us the real face of God,
for whom power does not mean force or destruction but love, and for whom
justice
is not vengeance but mercy". It is in the light of this that we must see the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, exceptionally inaugurated in Bangui during his
Apostolic Journey in Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic.
 "In a country sorely tried by hunger, poverty and conflict, where fratricidal
violence in recent years has left deep wounds, rending the nation and creating
material and moral destitution, the opening of the Holy Door of Bangui
Cathedral
was meant as a sign of encouragement to look ahead, to set out anew and resume
dialogue. There, where God's name has been misused to perpetrate injustice, I
wanted to reaffirm, together with the Muslim community of the Central African
Republic, that 'those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of
peace' and consequently of mercy, for one may never kill in the name of God.
Only a distorted ideological form of religion can think that justice is done in
the name of the Almighty by deliberately slaughtering defenceless persons, as
in
the brutal terrorist attacks which occurred in recent months in Africa, Europe
and the Middle East".
 The Pope went on to reflect on his Apostolic trips throughout the course of
the
year, linked by the common thread of mercy, starting with Sarajevo, "a city
deeply scarred by the war in the Balkans and the capital of a country, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, which is uniquely significant for Europe and the entire world.
As a crossroads of cultures, nations and religions, it is working successfully
to build new bridges, to encourage those things which unite, and to see
differences as opportunities for growth in respect for all".
 In Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay, he encountered "peoples who have not given
up
in the face of difficulties, and who are facing with courage, determination and
solidarity their many challenges, beginning with widespread poverty and social
inequality", he said. "During my journey to Cuba and the United States of
America, I was able to embrace two countries which were long divided and which
have decided to write a new page of history, embarking on the path of closer
ties and reconciliation".
 "In Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, during my Journey to Sri
Lanka and to the Philippines, and more recently with the Synod of Bishops, I
reaffirmed the centrality of the family, which is the first and most important
school of mercy, in which we learn to see God's loving face and to mature and
develop as human beings. Sadly, we recognise the numerous challenges presently
facing families, 'threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine
the very institution of marriage by relativism, by the culture of the
ephemeral,
by a lack of openness to life'. Today there is a widespread fear of the
definitive commitment demanded by the family; those who pay the price are the
young, who are often vulnerable and uncertain, and the elderly, who end up
being
neglected and abandoned".
 The Pope went on to ask the ambassadors to reflect on "the poor, the
marginalised and the 'least' of society", and in particular on the "grave
crisis
of migration we are facing, in order to discern its causes, to consider
possible
solutions, and to overcome the inevitable fears associated with this massive
and
formidable phenomenon, which in 2015 has mainly concerned Europe, but also
various regions of Asia and North and Central America".
 "The Bible as a whole recounts the history of a humanity on the move, for
mobility is part of our human nature", he added. "Human history is made up of
countless migrations, sometimes out of an awareness of the right to choose
freely, and often dictated by external circumstances. From the banishment from
Eden to Abraham's journey to the promised land, from the Exodus story to the
deportation to Babylon, sacred Scripture describes the struggles and
sufferings,
the desires and hopes, which are shared by the hundreds of thousands of persons
on the move today, possessed of the same determination which Moses had to reach
a land flowing with 'milk and honey', a land of freedom and peace. Now as then,
we hear Rachel weeping for her children who are no more. Hers is the plea of
thousands of people who weep as they flee horrific wars, persecutions and human
rights violations, or political or social instability, which often make it
impossible for them to live in their native lands. It is the outcry of those
forced to flee in order to escape unspeakable acts of cruelty towards
vulnerable
persons, such as children and the disabled, or martyrdom solely on account of
their religion".
 "Now as then, we hear Jacob saying to his sons: 'Go down and buy grain for us
there, that we may live and not die'. His is the voice of all those who flee
extreme poverty, inability to feed their families or to receive medical care
and
education, hopeless squalor or the effects of climate change and extreme
weather
conditions. Sadly, we know that hunger continues to be one of the gravest banes
of our world, leading to the death of millions of children every year. It is
painful to realise, however, that often these migrants are not included in
international systems of protection based on international agreements".
 "How can we not see in all this the effects of that 'culture of waste' which
endangers the human person, sacrificing men and women before the idols of
profit
and consumption? It is a grievous fact that we grow so inured to such
situations
of poverty and need, to these tragedies affecting so many lives, that they
appear 'normal'. ... We have grown indifferent to all sorts of waste, starting
with the waste of food, which is all the more deplorable when so many
individuals and families suffer hunger and malnutrition".
 "The Holy See trusts that, amid today's sad context of conflicts and
disasters,
the First World Humanitarian Summit, convened by the United Nations for May
2016, will succeed in its goal of placing the person and human dignity at the
heart of every humanitarian response. What is needed is a common commitment
which can decisively turn around the culture of waste and lack of respect for
human life, so that no one will feel neglected or forgotten, and that no
further
lives will be sacrificed due to the lack of resources and, above all, of
political will".
 We also hear today "the voice of Judah who counsels selling his own brother.
His is the arrogance of the powerful who exploit the weak, reducing them to
means for their own ends or for strategic and political schemes. Where regular
migration is impossible, migrants are often forced to turn to human traffickers
or smugglers, even though they are aware that in the course of their journey
they may well lose their possessions, their dignity and even their lives. In
this context I once more appeal for an end to trafficking in persons, which
turns human beings, especially the weakest and most defenceless, into
commodities. The image of all those children who died at sea, victims of human
callousness and harsh weather, will remain forever imprinted on our minds and
hearts. Those who survive and reach a country which accepts them bear the deep
and indelible scars of these experiences, in addition to those left by the

--- MPost/386 v1.21
 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)