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Combat ‘torrent’ of misery in world, pope says in New Year message
Posted On Jan 01 2016
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In fact, people should take the little figurine of Jesus from their Nativity scene and kiss it, “and tell Jesus, ‘I want to humble like you, humble like God, ‘” the pope said December 30 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
He is urging people to overcome indifference and “leave behind the false neutrality which prevents sharing”.
“It is true that his death on the cross and his resurrection are the maximum expression of his redeeming love, but we can not forget that all his earthly life is revelation and teaching”, said the pope.
In his end-of-year mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on New Year’s Eve, Francis spoke of a “torrent of misery, injustice and violence” across the world in the past year.
Pope Francis went on to say, “We have, thank God, much information; but sometimes we are so inundated with news that we are distracted from reality, from the brother and sister who needs us: let us begin to open our hearts, awakening attention to the next”.
“We know, however, that with the new year, everything won’t change and that many of yesterday’s problems will also remain tomorrow”, the pope said, adding that he was making a “wish sustained by a real hope”. “This involves a real struggle, a spiritual battle that takes place in our hearts, for the enemy of peace is not only war, but also indifference, which makes us think only of ourselves and creates barriers, suspicions, fears and closures [of mind and heart]”. He continued: “We ask how long human evil will continue to sow violence and hatred in our world, reaping innocent victims”.
Francis cited no country, continent or conflict. However his words clearly evoked images of the refugees & migrants, greater than 1 million of whom flooded in to Europe from Africa, the Middle East & Asia in 2015, on risky ocean or overland journeys.
Friday afternoon, Francis will go across town to visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he’ll open a holy door signifying his jubilee year.
