{"id":12325,"date":"2015-12-15T11:17:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T11:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/to-obtain-peace-we-have-to-fight-indifference-with-mercy-pope-says-12230\/"},"modified":"2015-12-15T11:17:00","modified_gmt":"2015-12-15T11:17:00","slug":"to-obtain-peace-we-have-to-fight-indifference-with-mercy-pope-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/12\/to-obtain-peace-we-have-to-fight-indifference-with-mercy-pope-says\/","title":{"rendered":"To obtain peace, we have to fight indifference with mercy, Pope says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Vatican City, Dec 15, 2015 \/ 04:17 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Francis\u2019 message for 2016\u2019s World Day of Peace is packed with bold pastoral and practical advice for both the Church as well as international leaders.<\/p>\n

\tIn it, he focused on the need to work for peace by overcoming the attitude of indifference and fostering a greater sense of solidarity, mercy and compassion.<\/p>\n

\tHe advocated for concrete acts of mercy on the part of families, individuals and political leaders, such as the abolition of the death penalty and amnesty for prisoners convicted of political offenses.<\/p>\n

\tAlso encouraged by the Pope was a review of legislation in terms of migrants, a greater attention toward women, particularly in terms of equality in the workplace, and debt forgiveness.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cGod is not indifferent! God cares about mankind! God does not abandon us!\u201d was the opening line of Francis\u2019 message for the 2016 World Day of Peace, published Dec. 15.<\/p>\n

\tInstituted by Bl. Pope Paul VI in 1968, the World Day of Peace is celebrated each year on the first day of January.<\/p>\n

\tThe Pope gives a special message for the occasion, which is sent to all foreign ministers around the world, and which also indicates the Holy See\u2019s diplomatic tone during the coming year.<\/p>\n

\tTitled \u201cOvercome Indifference and win Peace,\u201d the Pope\u2019s message for 2016 is a reiteration of what he has frequently advocated for since the beginning of his pontificate: taking one\u2019s eyes off oneself, and focusing on the needs of others.<\/p>\n

\tIn a world afflicted by \u201ca real third world war fought piecemeal,\u201d the Pope expressed his desire to encourage people \u201cnot to lose hope in our human ability to conquer evil and to combat resignation and indifference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe pointed to several initiatives over the past year which have brought world leaders together in an effort to overcome self-interest and apathy, such as the recently concluded COP21 summit on climate change in Paris, the Addis Ababa Summit on funding global sustainable development and the adoption of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.<\/p>\n

\tAlso highlighted by the Pope were landmark anniversaries for the Church, such as the 50th anniversary of Second Vatican Council documents \u201cNostra Aetate\u201d on dialogue with non-Christian religions, and the constitution \u201cGaudium et Spes\u201d on the Church in the modern world.<\/p>\n

\tFrancis also pointed to the Jubilee of Mercy, which runs from Dec. 8, 2015-Nov. 20, 2016, expressing his hope that it will encourage people to \u201crefuse to fall into a humiliating indifference or a monotonous routine which prevents us from discovering what is new!\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe spoke of the importance of fostering fraternity, saying we are responsible for those around us. Without solidarity, he said, \u201cwe would be less human.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCalling indifference \u201ca menace to the human family,\u201d Francis noted that the attitude takes three forms: indifference to God, to our neighbor and to creation.<\/p>\n

\tIndifference toward God, he noted, \u201ctranscends the purely private sphere and affects the public and social sphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cDisregard and the denial of God, which lead man to acknowledge no norm above himself and himself alone, have produced untold cruelty and violence,\u201d he said, while indifference toward one\u2019s neighbor is expressed in a general disinterest and a lack of engagement.<\/p>\n

\tOn an institutional level, indifference to the dignity, rights and freedom of others is part of a culture formed by \u201cthe pursuit of profit and hedonism,\u201d and can foster and even justify actions and policies which threaten peace, Pope Francis said.<\/p>\n

\tRather than ensuring that the basic rights and needs of others are preserved, economic and political projects frequently pursue power instead, he observed.<\/p>\n

\tWhen people see their basic rights, such as food, water, health care and employment denied, \u201cthey are tempted to obtain them by force.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tFrancis stressed that indifference is ultimately overcome by personal conversion, and pointed to the example of Jesus, who took on flesh and showed solidarity with humanity.<\/p>\n

\tJesus shows us how to be invested in others, no matter how busy we may be, he said, cautioning that the attitude of indifference often seeks to excuse itself with tasks to complete or by \u201chiding behind hostilities and prejudices which keep us apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cMercy is the heart of God,\u201d he said, explaining that how we love and care for others is \u201cthe yardstick\u201d by which God will judge our lives.<\/p>\n

\tHe emphasized the importance of the Church in being a witness to God\u2019s mercy in both her language and her gestures, so that people would be inspired to return to God.<\/p>\n

\tTo build solidarity, the Pope said, is the responsibility of everyone, beginning with families and teachers. He also said those involved in the field of communication have a special role to play, adding that their role must \u201cserve the truth, and not particular interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCommunicators, particularly the media, must also \u201cbe mindful that the way in which information is obtained and made public should always be legally and morally admissible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tThe statement is a likely reference to the current trial underway<\/a> for the \u201cVatileaks 2\u201d scandal, in which two journalists have been accused of exerting \u201cpressure\u201d on former members of a Vatican commission to obtain confidential documents on Vatican finances, and then publish books on the information.<\/p>\n

\tFrancis concluded his message by acknowledging the many individuals and organizations, journalists and photographers included, who are committed caring for the poor, injured and sick, despite often dangerous conditions.<\/p>\n

\tIn particular, he offered thanks to all individuals, families, parishes, religious communities and monasteries who responded to his Sept. 6 appeal<\/a> to welcome a family of refugees.<\/p>\n

\tIn the spirit of the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis called on civil society to make \u201ccourageous gestures of concern\u201d for the most vulnerable, particularly prisoners, migrants, the sick and the unemployed.<\/p>\n

\tHe specifically asked that the living conditions for prisoners be improved, and urged leaders to keep in mind that \u201cpenal sanctions have the aim of rehabilitation,\u201d whereas national laws \u201cshould consider the possibility of other establishing penalties than incarceration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tOn this point, he urged government authorities to abolish the death penalty where it is still practiced, and \u201cto consider the possibility of an amnesty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Pope asked that legislation for migrants \u201cbe reviewed\u201d in order to reflect \u201ca readiness to welcome migrants and to facilitate their integration\u201d into society.<\/p>\n

\tHe also said special emphasis should be given to the conditions for the legal residency of migrants, \u201csince having to live clandestinely can lead to criminal behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tFrancis then asked that greater efforts be made in order to end unemployment, and for special attention be given to women, \u201cwho unfortunately still encounter discrimination in the workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe closed his message with a threefold appeal to national leaders, beginning with a request for them \u201cto refrain from drawing other peoples into conflicts or wars,\u201d which only lead to destruction.<\/p>\n

\tThe Pope then asked that leaders either forgive or find a way to sustainably manage the debt of poorer nations, and to \u201cadopt policies of cooperation which, instead of bowing before the dictatorship of certain ideologies, will respect the values of local populations and\u2026not prove detrimental to the fundamental and inalienable right to life of the unborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Vatican City, Dec 15, 2015 \/ 04:17 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ message for 2016’s World Day of Peace is packed with bold pastoral and practical advice for both the Church as well as international leaders.<\/p>\n

\tIn it, he focused on the n…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nTo obtain peace, we have to fight indifference with mercy, Pope says<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Dec 15, 2015 \/ 04:17 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ message for 2016’s World Day of Peace is packed with bold pastoral and practical advice for both the Church as well as international leaders. 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