MENU

  • Home Page
  • Profile and Information

      Profile and Information

      back
    • The Nature and Goals of the Council
    • Structure of the Council
    • Activities of the Council
    • PCID Profile and Information Brochure
  • Latest News
  • Holy Father

      Holy Father

      back
    • Pope Francis 2021
    • Information on the new Encyclical
    • Encyclical Fratelli Tutti
    • Pope Francis Speaks on the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Pope Francis - 2020
    • A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
    • Pope Francis 2019
    • Pope Francis 2018
    • Pope Francis 2017
    • Pope Francis 2016
    • Pope Francis 2015
    • Pope Francis 2014
    • Pope Francis 2013
    • Pope Benedict XVI
    • Pope John Paul II
    • Pope Paul VI
  • President PCID

      President PCID

      back
    • Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ 2019
    • New President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
    • Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ Documents 2020
  • Key Documents

      Key Documents

      back
    • Vatican II
    • President PCID
    • Roman Curia
    • PCID Documents
    • PCID Statements and Declarations
    • Education for Peace in a Multi-Religious World - A Christian Perspective
    • Serving a Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity - A Christian Call to Reflection and Action During COVID-19 and Beyond
    • Building a Culture of Compassion
  • Pro Dialogo Bulletin

      Pro Dialogo Bulletin

      back
    • Pro Dialogo Bulletin
    • Pro Dialogo Bulletin: Index Years 1966 - 1990
    • Subscribe to Pro Dialogo
    • Correction: Pro Dialogo 163 (2019-3) Excerpt
  • Messages

      Messages

      back
    • Messages for the Feast of Ramadan (Islam)
    • Messages for the Feast of Vesakh (Buddhism)
    • Messages for the Feast of Deepavali (Hindu)
    • Messages for the Feast of Guru Nanak Prakash Diwas (Sikh)
    • Messages to Followers of Shinto
    • Messages for the Feast of Mahavir Janma Kalyanak Diwas (Jain)
    • Message for the 53rd World Day of Peace
  • International Human Fraternity Day

      International Human Fraternity Day

      back
    • Archives - News Releases on International Day of Human Fraternity
    • Pope Francis Address to Dipomatic Corps, 8 Feb 2021
  • Celebrating the Anniversary Year of Laudato Sì

      Celebrating the Anniversary Year of Laudato Sì

      back
    • Celebrating the Anniversary Year of Laudato Si'
  • Events

      Events

      back
    • In Memoriam: Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
    • Assisi - Days of Reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace
    • Special Celebration to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
    • PCID Muslim Events
    • PCID Events - 2015
    • PCID Buddhist Events
    • PCID Events - 2018
    • PCID Events - 2013
    • PCID Events - 2014
    • Meetings with Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in the UK 12-16 June 2013
    • Remarks by His Majesty King Abdullah II September 2013
    • Jubilee Year of Mercy Papl Bull
    • Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to the United Arab Emirates
    • Pope Francis Apostolic Visit to Morocco
    • Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, m. Afr named Cardinal
    • Pope Francis - Journey to Thailand and Japan 2019
    • Serving a Wounded Humanity: Towards Interreligious Solidarity Meeting
    • 7th Buddhist- Christian Dialogue Postponed
    • Day of Prayer for Humanity
    • Members PCID 2020
  • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran

      Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran

      back
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - Writings and Speeches
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2008
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2009
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2010
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2011
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2012
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2013
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2014
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2015
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2016
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2017
    • Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran - 2018
  • Other Dicasteries

      Other Dicasteries

      back
    • Other Dicasteries - Documents
    • Religious liberty for the good of all - excerpts
  • Downloads

      Downloads

      back
    • Nostra Aetate Foundation Student Scholarships
    • Dialogue and Mission Booklet
    • The Attitudes of the Church Towards the Followers of Other Religions
    • Dialogue in Truth and Charity Documents
    • Register
  • Photo Galleries
  • Videos

Message for the 53rd World Day of Peace

8 December 2019


Message for the 53rd World Day of Peace

Peace as a Journey of Hope: Dialogue, Reconciliation and Ecological Conversion

Peace, a journey of hope in the face of obstacles and trial

Peace is a great and precious value, the object of our hope and the aspiration of the entire human family. As a human attitude, our hope for peace is marked by an existential tension that makes it possible for the present, with all its difficulties, to be “lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey”.[1] Hope is thus the virtue that inspires us and keeps us moving forward, even when obstacles seem insurmountable. 

Our human community bears, in its memory and its flesh, the scars of ever more devastating wars and conflicts that affect especially the poor and the vulnerable. Entire nations find it difficult to break free of the chains of exploitation and corruption that fuel hatred and violence. Even today, dignity, physical integrity, freedom, including religious freedom, communal solidarity and hope in the future are denied to great numbers of men and women, young and old. Many are the innocent victims of painful humiliation and exclusion, sorrow and injustice, to say nothing of the trauma born of systematic attacks on their people and their loved ones.

The terrible trials of internal and international conflicts, often aggravated by ruthless acts of violence, have an enduring effect on the body and soul of humanity. Every war is a form of fratricide that destroys the human family’s innate vocation to brotherhood.

War, as we know, often begins with the inability to accept the diversity of others, which then fosters attitudes of aggrandizement and domination born of selfishness and pride, hatred and the desire to caricature, exclude and even destroy the other. War is fueled by a perversion of relationships, by hegemonic ambitions, by abuses of power, by fear of others and by seeing diversity as an obstacle. And these, in turn, are aggravated by the experience of war. 

As I observed during my recent Apostolic Journey to Japan, our world is paradoxically marked by “a perverse dichotomy that tries to defend and ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust, one that ends up poisoning relationships between peoples and obstructing any form of dialogue. Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation. They can be achieved only on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family of today and tomorrow”.[2] 

Every threatening situation feeds mistrust and leads people to withdraw into their own safety zone. Mistrust and fear weaken relationships and increase the risk of violence, creating a vicious circle that can never lead to a relationship of peace. Even nuclear deterrence can only produce the illusion of security.

We cannot claim to maintain stability in the world through the fear of annihilation, in a volatile situation, suspended on the brink of a nuclear abyss and enclosed behind walls of indifference. As a result, social and economic decisions are being made that lead to tragic situations where human beings and creation itself are discarded rather than protected and preserved.[3] How, then, do we undertake a journey of peace and mutual respect? How do we break the unhealthy mentality of threats and fear? How do we break the current dynamic of distrust?

We need to pursue a genuine fraternity based on our common origin from God and exercised in dialogue and mutual trust. The desire for peace lies deep within the human heart, and we should not resign ourselves to seeking anything less than this.

2. Peace, a journey of listening based on memory, solidarity and fraternity

The Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are among those who currently keep alive the flame of collective conscience, bearing witness to succeeding generations to the horror of what happened in August 1945 and the unspeakable sufferings that have continued to the present time. Their testimony awakens and preserves the memory of the victims, so that the conscience of humanity may rise up in the face of every desire for dominance and destruction. “We cannot allow present and future generations to lose the memory of what happened here. It is a memory that ensures and encourages the building of a more fair and fraternal future”.[4]

Like the Hibakusha, many people in today’s world are working to ensure that future generations will preserve the memory of past events, not only in order to prevent the same errors or illusions from recurring, but also to enable memory, as the fruit of experience, to serve as the basis and inspiration for present and future decisions to promote peace.

What is more, memory is the horizon of hope. Many times, in the darkness of wars and conflicts, the remembrance of even a small gesture of solidarity received can lead to courageous and even heroic decisions. It can unleash new energies and kindle new hope in individuals and communities.

 

Setting out on a journey of peace is a challenge made all the more complex because the interests at stake in relationships between people, communities and nations, are numerous and conflicting. We must first appeal to people’s moral conscience and to personal and political will. Peace emerges from the depths of the human heart and political will must always be renewed, so that new ways can be found to reconcile and unite individuals and communities.

The world does not need empty words but convinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects exclusion or manipulation. In fact, we cannot truly achieve peace without a convinced dialogue between men and women who seek the truth beyond ideologies and differing opinions. Peace “must be built up continually”;[5] it is a journey made together in constant pursuit of the common good, truthfulness and respect for law. Listening to one another can lead to mutual understanding and esteem, and even to seeing in an enemy the face of a brother or sister.

The peace process thus requires enduring commitment. It is a patient effort to seek truth and justice, to honour the memory of victims and to open the way, step by step, to a shared hope stronger than the desire for vengeance. In a state based on law, democracy can be an important paradigm of this process, provided it is grounded in justice and a commitment to protect the rights of every person, especially the weak and marginalized, in a constant search for truth.[6] This is a social undertaking, an ongoing work in which each individual makes his or her contribution responsibly, at every level of the local, national and global community.

As Saint Paul VI pointed out, these “two aspirations, to equality and to participation, seek to promote a democratic society… This calls for an education to social life, involving not only the knowledge of each person’s rights, but also its necessary correlative: the recognition of his or her duties with regard to others. The sense and practice of duty are themselves conditioned by the capacity for self-mastery and by the acceptance of responsibility and of the limits placed upon the freedom of individuals or the groups”.[7]

Divisions within a society, the increase of social inequalities and the refusal to employ the means of ensuring integral human development endanger the pursuit of the common good. Yet patient efforts based on the power of the word and of truth can help foster a greater capacity for compassion and creative solidarity. 

In our Christian experience, we constantly remember Christ, who gave his life to reconcile us to one another (cf. Rom 5:6-11). The Church shares fully in the search for a just social order; she continues to serve the common good and to nourish the hope for peace by transmitting Christian values and moral teaching, and by her social and educational works. 

3. Peace, a journey of reconciliation in fraternal communion

The Bible, especially in the words of the Prophets, reminds individuals and peoples of God’s covenant with humanity, which entails renouncing our desire to dominate others and learning to see one another as persons, sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters. We should never encapsulate others in what they may have said or done, but value them for the promise that they embody. Only by choosing the path of respect can we break the spiral of vengeance and set out on the journey of hope.

We are guided by the Gospel passage that tells of the following conversation between Peter and Jesus: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (Mt 18:21-22). This path of reconciliation is a summons to discover in the depths of our heart the power of forgiveness and the capacity to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters. When we learn to live in forgiveness, we grow in our capacity to become men and women of peace. 

What is true of peace in a social context is also true in the areas of politics and the economy, since peace permeates every dimension of life in common. There can be no true peace unless we show ourselves capable of developing a more just economic system. As Pope Benedict XVI said ten years ago in his Encyclical Letter  Caritas in Veritate, “in order to defeat underdevelopment, action is required not only on improving exchange-based transactions and implanting public welfare structures, but above all on graduallyincreasing openness, in a world context, to forms of economic activity marked by quotas of gratuitousness and communion” (No. 39).  

4. Peace, a journey of ecological conversion

“If a mistaken understanding of our own principles has at times led us to justify mistreating nature, to exercise tyranny over creation, to engage in war, injustice and acts of violence, we believers should acknowledge that by so doing we were not faithful to the treasures of wisdom which we have been called to protect and preserve”.[8] 

Faced with the consequences of our hostility towards others, our lack of respect for our common home or our abusive exploitation of natural resources – seen only as a source of immediate profit, regardless of local communities, the common good and nature itself – we are in need of an ecological conversion. The recent Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region moves us to make a pressing renewed call for a peaceful relationship between communities and the land, between present and past, between experience and hope.

This journey of reconciliation also calls for listening and contemplation of the world that God has given us as a gift to make our common home. Indeed, natural resources, the many forms of life and the earth itself have been entrusted to us “to till and keep” (Gen 1:15), also for future generations, through the responsible and active participation of everyone. We need to change the way we think and see things, and to become more open to encountering others and accepting the gift of creation, which reflects the beauty and wisdom of its Creator. 

All this gives us deeper motivation and a new way to dwell in our common home, to accept our differences, to respect and celebrate the life that we have received and share, and to seek living conditions and models of society that favour the continued flourishing of life and the development of the common good of the entire human family.

The ecological conversion for which we are appealing will lead us to a new way of looking at life, as we consider the generosity of the Creator who has given us the earth and called us to a share it in joy and moderation. This conversion must be understood in an integral way, as a transformation of how we relate to our sisters and brothers, to other living beings, to creation in all its rich variety and to the Creator who is the origin and source of all life. For Christians, it requires that “the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them”.[9] 

5. “We obtain all that we hope for”[10] 

The journey of reconciliation calls for patience and trust. Peace will not be obtained unless it is hoped for. 

In the first place, this means believing in the possibility of peace, believing that others need peace just as much as we do. Here we can find inspiration in the love that God has for each of us: a love that is liberating, limitless, gratuitous and tireless. 

Fear is frequently a source of conflict. So it is important to overcome our human fears and acknowledge that we are needy children in the eyes of the One who loves us and awaits us, like the father of the prodigal son (cf. Lk 15:11-24). The culture of fraternal encounter shatters the culture of conflict. It makes of every encounter a possibility and a gift of God’s generous love. It leads us beyond the limits of our narrow horizons and constantly encourages us to a live in a spirit of universal fraternity, as children of the one heavenly Father. 

For the followers of Christ, this journey is likewise sustained by the sacrament of Reconciliation, given by the Lord for the remission of sins of the baptized. This sacrament of the Church, which renews individuals and communities, bids us keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, who reconciled “all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20). It requires us to set aside every act of violence in thought, word and deed, whether against our neighbours or against God’s creation. 

The grace of God our Father is bestowed as unconditional love. Having received his forgiveness in Christ, we can set out to offer that peace to the men and women of our time. Day by day, the Holy Spirit prompts in us ways of thinking and speaking that can make us artisans of justice and peace. 

May the God of peace bless us and come to our aid. 

May Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace and Mother of all the peoples of the earth, accompany and sustain us at every step of our journey of reconciliation. 

And may all men and women who come into this world experience a life of peace and develop fully the promise of life and love dwelling in their heart. 

From the Vatican, 8 December 2019

    Franciscus

   [1] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter  Spe Salvi (30 November 2007), 1.

 [2]  Address on Nuclear Weapons, Nagasaki, Atomic Bomb Hypocenter, 24 November 2019.

 [3] Cf.  Homily at Lampedusa, 8 July 2013.

 [4] Address on Peace, Hiroshima, Peace Memorial, 24 November 2019. 

 [5] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution  Gaudium et Spes, 78.

  

 [6] Cf. BENEDICT XVI,  Address to the Italian Christian Workers’ Associations, 27 January 2006.

  

 [7] Apostolic Letter  Octogesima Adveniens (14 May 1971), 24.

  

 [8] Encyclical Letter  Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015).

  

 [9] Ibid., 217.

  

 [10] Cf. SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS, Noche obscura, II, 21,8.

MESSAGE FOR MAHAVIR JANMA KALYANAK DIWAS 2017

Christians and Jains: Together to foster practice of non-violence in families


Dear Jain Friends,

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue sends you its warmest felicitations as you celebrate the 2615th Birth Anniversary of Tirthankar Vardhaman Mahavir on 9th April, this year. May this festive event bring happiness and peace in your hearts, families and communities!

Violence, with its many and varied forms, has become a major concern in most parts of the world. So, we wish to share with you on this occasion a reflection on how we, both Christians and Jains, can foster non-violence in families to nurture peace in society.

Causes of violence are as complex and diverse as its manifestations. Not so infrequently, violence stems from unhealthy upbringings and dangerous indoctrinations. Today, in the face of growing violence in society, it is necessary that families become effective schools of civilization and make every effort to nurture the value of non-violence.

Non-violence is the concrete application in one’s life of the golden rule: ‘Do to others as you would like others do unto you’. It entails that we respect and treat the other, including the ‘different other’, as a person endowed with inherent human dignity and inalienable rights. Avoidance of harm to anyone in any way is, therefore, a corollary to our way of being and living as humans.

Unfortunately, refusal by some to accept the ‘other’ in general and the ‘different other’ in particular, mostly due to fear, ignorance, mistrust or sense of superiority, has generated an atmosphere of widespread intolerance and violence. This situation can be overcome “by countering it with more love, with more goodness.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 18 February, 2008).

This ‘more’ requires a grace from above, so also a place to cultivate love and goodness. Family is a prime place where a counter culture of peace and non-violence can find a fertile soil. It is here the children, led by the example of parents and elders, according to Pope Francis, “learn to communicate and to show concern for one another, and in which frictions and even conflicts have to be resolved not by force but by dialogue, respect, concern for the good of the other, mercy and forgiveness” (cf. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, 2016, nos.90-130). Only with persons of non-violence as members, can families greatly contribute to making non-violence truly a way of life in the society.

Both our religions give primacy to a life of love and non-violence. Jesus taught his followers to love even their enemies (cf. Lk 6:27) and by His eminent example of life inspired them to do likewise. Thus, for us Christians, “non-violence is not merely a tactical behaviour but a person’s way of being” (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 18 February, 2008) based on love and truth. ‘Ahimsa’ for you Jains is the sheet-anchor of your religion - ‘Ahimsa paramo dharmah’ (non-violence is the supreme virtue or religion).

As believers rooted in our own religious convictions and as persons with shared values and with the sense of co-responsibility for the human family, may we, joining other believers and people of good will, do all that we can, individually and collectively, to shape families into ‘nurseries’ of non-violence to build a humanity that cares for our common home and all its inhabitants!

Wish you all a happy feast of Mahavir Janma Kalyanak!

Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran


President

Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J.

Secretary

Buckfast Abbey

View Video

Buckfast Abbey

View Video

Buckfast Abbey

View Video

Buckfast Abbey

View Video

For other galleries please click here:

  • 2010
  • 2011
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • testing gallery

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

  • testing gallery

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

  • testing gallery

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Testing Melody container

lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Testing Melody container

lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Testing Melody container

lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum, lorem ipsum.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Useful Links

  • PCID Profile and Information Brochure
  • Subscribe to Pro Dialogo
  • An Outline of Interreligious Dialogue - Religions and Fraternity in the Midst of Diversity
  • A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
  • Materials on the Document for Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
  • Pope Francis - 2020
  • Fratelli Tutti
  • Go to Vatican Website
  • Go to Vatican News

Get In Touch

  • Address
    via della Conciliazione, 5
    00120 Vatican City
  • Tel. /FAX
    +39 06 6988.4321/+39 06 6988.4494
  • Email: Office and Human Fraternity Day
    dialogo@interrel.va; humanfraternityday@interrel.va

Design & Build

Native MultiMedia UK

© 2021 PCID. All RIghts Reserved


Main images copyright: OssRom, PCID archives