The Holy See announced that the title of Pope Francis’ Message for the 49th World Day of Peace will be “Overcome Indifference and Win Peace.”
Celebrated yearly on January 1st, the World Day of Peace was instituted by Blessed Paul VI and includes a message sent to all Foreign Ministers of the world. It also “indicates the Holy See’s diplomatic line during the coming year.”
In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican said that the scourge of indifference remains as one of the “fundamental causes of the lack of peace.”
“Today, indifference is often linked to various forms of individualism which cause isolation, ignorance, selfishness and, therefore, lack of interest and commitment,” the statement read.
“Increase of information does not mean per se an increase of attention to the problems, if it is not accompanied by solidarity-based openness of conscience.”
The family, educators, teachers, media and artists, the statement went on to say, are essential in combating against indifference. Conversion of mind and heart, along with positive discussions are just some of the ways that peace can be obtained.
“Such an action must urgently have recourse to build a sense of responsibility and awareness creation about the serious problems and challenges afflicting our time, such as, fundamentalism, intolerance and massacres, persecutions on account of faith and ethnicity, disregard for freedom and the destruction of the rights of entire peoples, the exploitation of human beings submitted even to the different forms of slavery, corruption and organized crime, war and the plight of refugees and forcibly displaced persons,” the statement continued.
Pope Francis’ message for 2016, the Vatican’s statement concluded, aims to be a starting point for all people to work together to build a “more free and fair world.”
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On ZENIT’s website:
To read the Holy See’s statement, go to: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/holy-see-s-statement-on-pope-s-message-for-world-day-of-peace
