ANGELUS
POPE FRANCIS
Saint
Peter's Square
Sunday,
4 January 2015
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
The
new year has given us a nice Sunday! A beautiful day!
St
John says in the Gospel that we read today: “In him was life, and the life was
the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it.... The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the
world” (1:4-5, 9). Men speak much of light, but they often prefer the deceptive
tranquillity of darkness. We speak a lot about peace, but we often turn to war
or choose the complicity of silence, or do nothing concrete to build peace. In
fact St John says that “He came to his own home, and his own people received
him not” (Jn 1:11); for “this is the judgment, that the light — Jesus — has
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come
to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (Jn 3:19-20). This is what St
John says in the Gospel. The heart of man may reject the light and prefer the
shadows, because light lays bare his evil deeds. Those who do evil hate light.
Those who do evil hate peace.
A
few days ago, we began the new year in the name of the Mother of God, by
celebrating the World Day of Peace, with the theme: “No longer slaves, but
brothers and sisters”. My hope is that man’s exploitation of man may be
overcome. This kind of exploitation is a social plague which demeans
interpersonal relationships and impedes a life of communion based on respect,
justice and charity. Every man and every people hungers and thirsts for peace;
building peace is therefore an urgent necessity!
Peace
is not simply the absence of war, but a general condition in which the human
person is in harmony with him/herself, in harmony with nature and in harmony
with others. This is peace. Nevertheless, silencing weapons and extinguishing
the hotbeds of war is an inevitable condition to begin a journey that leads to
peace in its various aspects. I think of the wars that still cause bloodshed in
too many regions of the planet, of the tensions in families and in communities
— but in many families, in many communities, in parishes too, there is war! —
as well as heated disputes in our cities and towns between groups of different
ethnic, cultural and religious extraction. We must convince ourselves, despite
every appearance to the contrary, that harmony is always possible, on every
level and in every situation. There is no future without proposals and plans
for peace! There is no future without peace!
In
the Old Testament, God made a promise. The Prophet Isaiah said: “they shall
beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn the art of war
any more” (cf. Is 2:4). This is beautiful! Peace is proclaimed, as a special
gift of God, in the birth of the Redeemer: “on earth peace among men whom God
loves” (cf. Lk 2:14). This gift needs to be ceaselessly implored in prayer. Let
us recall, here in the Square, that sign: “Prayer is at the root of peace”. This
gift must be implored and must be welcomed with commitment every day, in
whatever situation we are in. At the dawn of this new year, we are all called
to rekindle in our heart an impulse of hope, which must be translated into
concrete works of peace. “Are you in disaccord with this person? Make peace!”;
“At home? Make peace!” “In your community? Make peace!”; “At your place of
work? Make peace!”. Work for peace, for reconciliation and fraternity. Each of
us must perform gestures of fraternity toward our neighbour, especially toward
those who are tried by family tensions or various types of conflict. These
small gestures are of so much value: they can be seeds which give hope, they
can open paths and perspectives of peace.
Let
us now invoke Mary, Queen of Peace. During her life on earth, she met many
difficulties, related to the daily toils of life. But she never lost peace of
heart, the fruit of faithful abandonment to God’s mercy. Let us ask Mary, our
gentle Mother, to show the entire world the sure way of love and peace.
After the Angelus:
Dear
brothers and sisters, I address a cordial greeting to all of you, dear pilgrims
from Italy and from other countries who are participating in this prayer
gathering.
I
express the hope to each one that this second Sunday after Christmas may be
spent in peace and serenity, and that the joy of Jesus’ birth continue.
As
previously announced, on 14 February I will have the joy of holding a
Consistory, during which I shall create 15 new Cardinals who come from 13
nations and from every continent and manifest the unbreakable bond between the
Church of Rome and the Particular Churches present in the world.
On
Sunday, 15 February, I shall preside at a solemn concelebration with the new
Cardinals, while on 12 and 13 February, I will hold a Consistory with all the
Cardinals in order to reflect on the proposed reform of the Roman Curia.
The new Cardinals’ names
are:
1
— Archbishop Dominique Mamberti,
titular Archbishop of Sagona, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic
Signatura
2
— Patriarch Manuel José Macário do
Nascimento Clemente of Lisbon, Portugal
3
— Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew
Souraphiel, C.M., of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
4
— Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of
Wellington, New Zealand
5
— Archbishop Edoardo Menichelli,
Archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, Italy
6
— Archbishop Pierre Nguyên Văn Nhon
of Hanoi, Vietnam
7
— Archbishop Alberto Suárez Inda of
Morelia, Mexico
8
— Archbishop Charles Maung Bo,
S.D.B., Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar
9
— Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak
Kovithavanij of Bangkok, Thailand
10
— Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of
Agrigento, Italy
11
— Archbishop Daniel Fernando Sturla
Berhouet, S.D.B., of Montevideo, Uruguay
12
— Archbishop Ricardo Blázquez Pérez
of Valladolid, Spain
13
— Bishop José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán,
O.A.R., of David, Panama
14
— Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado of
Santiago de Cabo Verde, Archipelago of Cape Verde
15
— Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of
Tonga, Islands of Tonga
Additionally,
to the Members of the College of Cardinals, I will add five Archbishops and
Bishops emeritus who have distinguished themselves through their pastoral
charity in service to the Holy See and the Church. They represent many Bishops
who, with the same pastoral solicitude, have borne witness to the love of
Christ and to the People of God in the Particular Churches, in the Roman Curia,
and in the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See. They are:
1
— Archbishop emeritus José de Jesús
Pimiento RodrÃguez of Manizales, Colombia
2
— Archbishop Luigi De Magistris,
titular Archbishop of Nova, Pro-Major Penitentiary emeritus
3
— Archbishop Karl-Josef Rauber,
titular Archbishop of Iubaltiana, Apostolic Nuncio
4
— Archbishop emeritus Luis Héctor
Villalba of Tucumán, Argentina
5
— Bishop emeritus Júlio Duarte Langa
of Xai-Xai, Mozambique
Let
us pray for the new Cardinals, that, renewing their love of Christ, they may be
witnesses of his Gospel in the City of Rome and in the world and with their
pastoral experience they may more intensely support me in my apostolic service.
Happy
Sunday to everyone! It is a beautiful day for visiting the museums. Please Do
not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!
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