Your eminence, your excellencies, distinguished members of the diplomatic
corps, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank his excellency
ambassador George Pulid, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps for his kind and
respectful words on your behalf. I welcome all of you to this meeting for
the exchange of greetings at the beginning of the new year. This is a traditional occasion in the
life of the diplomatic corps accredited to the holy sea. But it is a new experience for me since
it was only several months ago that I was called to shepherd Christ's flock.
I am pleased therefore to welcome you this morning and I am grateful for your
generous participation which this year is enriched by the presence of the new resident heads of
mission of Kazakhstan, Burundi and Belellarus.
I thank the respective governmental authorities for their decision to open in Rome diplomatic representations to
the Holy Sea. This is a tangible sign of good and
fruitful bilateral relations. To each of you, dear ambassadors, I wish
to extend my good wishes to your countries and to share a reflection on
our times which are so troubled by a growing number of tensions and
conflicts. This past year saw many significant events beginning with those directly
affecting the life of the church which experienced a profound jubilee and saw
the return to the father's house of my venerable predecessor Pope Francis.
The whole world gathered around his coffin on the day of his funeral and sensed the loss of a father who had
guided the people of God with immense pastoral charity.
A few days ago, we closed the last holy door, that of St. Peter's Basilica,
which Pope Francis himself had opened on Christmas night in 2024.
During the holy year, millions of pilgrims flocked to Rome to make their Jubilee pilgrimage.
Each person brought his or her own experiences, questions, and joys as well
as pains and wounds to pass through the holy doors which are symbols of Christ
himself, our heavenly physician. By coming in the flesh, he took upon
himself our humanity in order to make us partakers of his divine life. As we
contemplate it in the recent celebration of Christmas, I am confident that through these
experiences, many people have been able to deepen or rediscover their
relationship with the Lord Jesus, finding comfort and renewed hope for
facing life's challenges.
Romani
revol.
perma fraalia.
Splendid Peninsula.
Compit
Santa Maria Galleria. The energy electrical
seenor
Saluto. During the past year, having accepted
the invitation given to Pope Francis, I had the joy of visiting Turkey in
Lebanon. I am grateful to the authorities of both countries for their welcome. Enishnik
Tier together with the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople and representatives of other Christian
denominations that commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council.
This was an important opportunity for renewing our commitment to the journey towards the full visible unity of all
Christians. In Lebanon, I met a people who, despite their difficulties, are full of faith
and enthusiasm. There I sensed the hope of young people
who aspire to build a more just and cohesive society and to strengthen the bond of cultures
and religions that makes the land of the cedars unique in the world.
Dear ambassadors, prompted by the tragic events of the sack of Rome in 410 AD, St. Augustine
wrote the chibat dei, the city of god.
This is one of the most powerful of his theological, philosophical and literary works.
As Pope Benedict I 16th observed, it is an impressive work crucial to the
development of Western political thought and the Christian theology of history.
It draws as we would say in contemporary terms on a narrative that was spreading
for the pagans still numerous at that time and even quite a few Christians thought that the god of the new religion
and the apostles themselves had shown themselves incapable of protecting the
city. In the days of the pagan gods, Rome was Caput Mundi, the great capital, and no
one could have imagined that it would fall into the hands of its enemies. Now, with the God of the Christians,
this great city no longer seemed secure. Certainly, our times are very distant
from those events. This is not simply a question of temporal distance but also of a
different cultural awareness and the development of categories of thought.
However, we cannot overlook the fact that our own cultural sensibilities have
drawn nourishment from that work which like all the classics speaks to people
of every generation. Augustine interprets events in history
itself according to the model of two cities. First, there's the city of God
which is eternal and characterized by God's unconditional love, Amori,
as well as love for one's neighbor, especially the poor. Then there is the earthly city, which is
a temporary dwelling place where human beings live until death.
In our day, the latter includes all social and political institutions from the family to the nation state and
international organizations. For Augustine, this city was epitomized
by the Roman Empire. Indeed, the earthly city is centered on pride and self-love,
Amoroui, and the thirst for worldly power and glory that leads
to destruction. However, this is not a reading of history that seeks to contrast eternity
with the present, the church with the state, nor is it a dialectic about the
role of religion within civil society. In Augustine's view, the two cities
coexist until the end of time. Each has both an external and an
internal dimension. For they are to be understood not only in light of the external manner in which they are
constructed throughout history but also through the lens of the internal attitudes of each human being towards
the realities of life and historical events. In this perspective, each of us is a
protagonist and thus responsible for history.
Moreover, Augustine emphasizes that Christians are called by God to dwell in
the earthly city with their hearts and minds turned towards the heavenly city,
their true homeland. At the same time, Christians living in the earthly city are not strangers to
the political world and guided by the scriptures seek to apply Christian
ethics to civil government. The City of God does not propose a
political program. Instead, it offers valuable reflections on fundamental issues concerning social and political
life, such as the search for a more just and peaceful coexistence among peoples.
Augustine also warns of the grave dangers to political life arising from false representations of history,
excessive nationalism and the distortion of the ideal of the political leader.
Although the context in which we live today is different from that of the fifth century, some similarities remain
highly relevant. We are now as then in an era of
widespread mig migratory movements. As then we are living in a time of a
profound readjustment of geopolitical balances and cultural paradigms.
As then we are in Pope Francis's well-known expression not in an era of
change but in a change of era. In our time, the weakness of
multilateralism is a particular cause for concern at the international level.
A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is
being replaced by a diplomacy based on force by either individuals or groups of
allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war
is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited
nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely
undermined. Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself or in the
pursuit of the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God with a more perfect form of justice among men
and women. Instead, peace is sought through weapons
as a condition for asserting one's own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law,
which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence.
Furthermore, as St. Augustine notes, there is no one who does not wish to
have peace. For even those who make war desire nothing but victory,
they desire, that is to say, to attain peace with glory.
For what else is victory than the conquest of those who resist us. And when this is done, there is peace.
For even those who intentionally interrupt the peace in which they are living, have no hatred of peace, but
only wish it changed into a peace that suits them better.
They do not therefore wish to have no peace, but only the peace that they desire.
It was precisely this attitude that led humanity into the tragedy of the Second
World War. From those ashes, the United Nations was
born, whose 80th anniversary was recently celebrated.
The UN was established by the determination of 51 nations as a center
of multilateral cooperation in order to prevent future global catastrophes
for safeguarding peace, defending fundamental human rights, and promoting
sustainable development. I'd like to draw particular attention to
the importance of international humanitarian law.
Compliance with this cannot depend on mere circumstances and military or
strategic interests. Humanitarian law in addition to guaranteeing a minimum of
humanity during the ravages of war is a commitment that states have made.
Such law must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerance in order to
mitigate the devastating effects of war. Also with a view to reconstruction,
we cannot ignore that the destruction of hospitals, energy infrastructure, homes,
and places essential to daily life constitutes a serious violation of
international humanitarian law. The Holy Sea firmly reiterates its
condemnation of any form of involvement of civilians in military operations.
It likewise hopes that the international community will remember that the
protection of the principle of the inviability of human dignity and the sanctity of life always counts for more
than any mere national interest. With this in mind, the United Nations
has mediated conflicts, promoted development, and helped states protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In a world facing complex challenges such as geopolitical tensions, inequalities, and climate crisis, the UN
should play a key role in fostering dialogue and humanitarian support,
helping to build a more just future. Efforts are therefore needed to ensure
that the United Nations not only reflects the situation of today's world
rather than that of the post-war period, but that it is also more focused and
efficient in pursuing policies aimed at the unity of the human family instead of
ideologies. The purpose of multilateralism then is
to provide a place where people can meet and talk modeled on the ancient Roman
forum or the medieval square. At the same time, in order to engage in
dialogue, there needs to be agreement on the words and concepts that are used.
Rediscovering the meaning of words is perhaps one of the primary challenges of our time.
When words lose their connection to reality and reality itself becomes
debatable and ultimately incommunicable, we become like the two people to whom
St. Augustine refers who are forced to stay together without either of them
knowing the other's language. He observes that, I quote, "Dumb
animals, even those of different species, understand each other more easily than these two individuals.
For even though they are both human beings, their common nature is no help
to friendliness when they are prevented by diversity of language from conveying
their sentiments to one another. so that a man would more readily converse with
his dog than with a foreigner. End of quote.
Today, the meaning of words is ever more fluid, and the concepts they represent
are increasingly ambiguous. Language is no longer the preferred
means by which human beings come to know and encounter one another. Moreover, in
the contortions of semantic ambiguity, language is becoming more and more a
weapon with which to deceive or to strike and offend opponents.
We need words once again to express distinct and clear realities unequivocally.
Only in this way can authentic dialogue resume without misunderstandings.
This should happen in our homes and public spaces, in politics, in the
media, and on social media. It should likewise occur in the context
of international relations and multilateralism so that the latter can regain the
strength needed for undertaking its role of encounter and mediation.
This is indeed necessary for preventing conflicts and for ensuring that no one
is tempted to prevail over others with a mindset of force, whether verbal,
physical, or military. We should also note the paradox that
this weakening of language is often invoked in the name of freedom of expression itself.
However, on closer inspection, the opposite is true. For freedom of speech
and expression is guaranteed precisely by the certainty of language and the
fact that every term is anchored in the truth.
It is painful to see how especially in the west the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking.
At the same time, a new Orwellian style language is developing which in an
attempt to be increasingly inclusive ends up excluding those who do not
conform to the ideologies that are fueling it. Unfortunately,
this leads to other consequences that end up restricting fundamental human
rights starting with the freedom of conscience. In this regard, conscientious objection
allows individuals to refuse legal or professional obligations that conflict
with moral, ethical, or religious principles deeply rooted in their
personal lives. This may be the refusal of military service in the name of non-violence or
the refusal on the part of doctors and health care professionals to engage in practices such as abortion or
euthanasia. Conscientious objection is not rebellion
but an act of fidelity to oneself. At this moment in history, freedom of
conscience seems increasingly to be questioned by states, even those that
claim to be based on democracy and human rights. This freedom, however, establishes a
balance between the collective interest and individual dignity.
It also emphasizes that a truly free society does not impose uniformity
but protects the diversity of consciences preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting an ethical
dialogue that enriches the social fabric. In a similar way, religious freedom
risks being curtailed. As Benedict the 16th recalled, this is
the first of all human rights because it expresses the most fundamental reality
of the person. The most recent data shows that violations of religious freedom are on
the rise and that 64% of the world's population suffers serious violations of
this right. In requesting that the religious freedom and worship of Christians be fully
respected. The Holy Sea asks the same for all other religious communities.
On the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the declaration Nostraatate,
one of the fruits of the second Vatican ecumenical council that concluded on December 8th, 1965.
I had the opportunity to reiterate the categorical rejection of all forms of
anti-semitism which unfortunately continues to sow
hatred and death and likewise emphasized the importance of cultivating the Jewish Christian
dialogue deepening our common biblical roots.
On that same commemorative occasion, the meeting with representatives of other religions allowed me to renew my
appreciation for the progress made in recent decades along the path of interreligious dialogue.
Indeed, in every sincere religious quest, there is a reflection of the one divine mystery that embraces all
creation. In this regard, I ask all the nations to guarantee full freedom of religion and
worship to each of their citizens. However, it cannot be overlooked that
the persecution of Christians remains one of the most widespread human rights
crisis today, affecting over 380 million
believers worldwide. They suffer high or extreme levels of
discrimination, violence, and oppression because of their faith. This phenomenon impinges on
approximately 1 in seven Christians globally. And it worsened in 2025 due to ongoing
conflicts, authoritarian regimes, and religious extremism.
Sadly, all of this demonstrates that religious freedom is considered in many
contexts more as a privilege or concession than a fundamental human
right. Here I would especially call to mind the
many victims of violence including religiously motivated violence in
Bangladesh in the Sahel region and in Nigeria as well as those of the serious
terrorist attack last June on the parish of St. Elias and Damascus.
Nor do I forget the victims of jihadist violence in Cabo delgado, Mozambique.
At the same time, we must not forget a subtle form of religious discrimination against Christians which is spreading
even in countries where they are in the majority such as in Europe or the
Americas. There they are sometimes restricted in
their ability to proclaim the truths of the gospel for political or ideological
reasons, especially when they defend the dignity of the weakest. the unborn, refugees and
migrants or promote the family. In its international relations and
actions, the Holy Sea consistently takes a stand in defense of the inalienable
dignity of every person. It cannot be overlooked, for example,
that every migrant is a person and as such has inalienable rights that must be
respected in every situation. Not all migrants move by choice, but
many are forced to flee because of violence, persecution, conflict, and
even the effects of climate change as in various parts of Africa and Asia.
In this year, which also marks the 75th anniversary of the International
Organization for Migration, I renew the Holy Sea's hope that the actions taken
by states against criminality and human trafficking will not become a pretext
for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees.
The same considerations apply to prisoners who can never be reduced to
the crimes they have committed. On this occasion, I wish to express my health heartfelt gratitude to the governments
that have responded positively to my venerable predecessors appeal for gestures of clemency during the Jubilee
year. It is my hope that the spirit of the Jubilee will permanently and
structurally inspire the administration of justice so that penalties are proportionate to the crimes committed.
Dignified conditions are guaranteed for prisoners. And above all, efforts are
made to abolish the death penalty, a measure that destroys all hope of
forgiveness and renewal. Nor can we forget the suffering of so
many prisoners held for political reasons in many countries.
Furthermore, from a Christian perspective, human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, who by
calling them into existence out of love, has at the same time called them to
love. This vocation is revealed in a privileged and unique way within the
family. It is in this context that we learn to love and foster the capacity to
serve life, thus contributing to the development of society and the church's
mission. Despite its centrality, the institution
of the family faces two crucial challenges today. On the one hand, there is a worrying
tendency in the international system to neglect and underestimate its
fundamental social role leading to its progressive institutional marginalization.
On the other hand, we cannot ignore the growing and painful reality of fragile, broken, and suffering families afflicted
by internal difficulties and disturbing phenomena including domestic violence.
The vocation to love and to life, which manifests itself in an important way,
and the exclusive and indisoluble union between a woman and a man, implies a
fundamental ethical imperative for enabling families to welcome and fully
care for unborn life. This is increasingly a priority, especially in
those countries that are experiencing a dramatic decline in birth rates.
Life in fact is a priceless gift that develops within a committed relationship
based on mutual self-giving and service.
In light of this profound vision of life as a gift to be cherished and of the family as its responsible guardian, we
categorically reject any practice that denies or exploits the origin of life
and its development. Among these is abortion which cuts short cuts short a
growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of life. In this regard, the Holy Sea expresses
deep concern about projects aimed at financing crossborder mobility for the
purpose of accessing the so-called right to safe abortion. It also considers it
deplorable that public resources are allocated to suppress life rather than
being invested to support mothers and families. The primary objective must remain the
protection of every unborn child and the effective and concrete support of every woman so that she is able to welcome
life. Likewise, there's the practice of surrogacy. By transforming gestation
into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child who is
reduced to a product and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative
process and distorting the original relational calling of the family.
Similar considerations can be extended to the sick, to those who are elderly or isolated, who at times struggle to find
a reason to continue living. Civil society and states also have a
responsibility to respond concretely to situations of vulnerability, offering
solutions to human suffering such as paleotative care and promoting policies
of authentic solidarity rather than encouraging deceptive forms
of compassion such as euthanasia. A comparable reflection can be made
concerning the many young people who are forced to confront numerous hardships, including drug addiction.
In order to prevent millions of young people around the world from falling victim to substance abuse, concerted
efforts are required to eradicate this scourge upon humanity and the drug
trafficking that fuels it. Together with these efforts, there must be adequate policies for recovery from
addiction as well as greater investment in human development, education, and the creation of employment opportunities.
In light of these challenges, we firmly reiterate that the protection of the
right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other
human right. A society is healthy and truly progresses only when it safeguards
the sanctity of human life and works actively to promote it.
The aforementioned considerations lead me to believe that in the current context we're seeking we are seeing an
actual short circuit of human rights. The right to freedom of expression,
freedom of conscience, religious freedom, and even the right to life are being restricted in the name of other
so-called new rights with the result that the very framework of human rights is losing its vitality and creating
space for force and oppression. This occurs when each right becomes
self-referential and especially when it becomes disconnected from reality, nature, and
truth. Distinguished ambassadors, while St. Augustine highlights the
coexistence of the heavenly and earthly cities until the end of time, our era
seems somewhat inclined to deny the city of God its right of citizenship.
It seems that only the earthly city exists, enclosed exclusively within its borders.
Seeking only imminent goods undermines that tranquility of order, which for Augustine constitutes the very essence
of peace, which concerns society and nations as much as the human soul
itself, and is essential for any civil coexistence. In the absence of a transcendent and
objective foundation, only self-love prevails to the point of indifference to
God who governs the earthly city. Yet, as Augustine notes,
great is the folly of pride in those individuals who think that the supreme
good can be found in this life and that they can become happy by their own
resources. Pride obscures both reality itself and
our empathy toward others. It is no coincidence that pride is always at the
root of every conflict. Consequently, as I recalled in my
message for the world day of peace, we lose our sense of realism and surrender
to a partial and distorted view of the world disfigured by darkness and fear,
thus paving the way for the mentality of confrontation, which is the precursor to
every war. We see this in many contexts. Starting
with the ongoing war in Ukraine and the suffering inflicted on the civilian population.
Faced with this tragic situation, the Holy Sea strongly reiterates the
pressing need for an immediate ceasefire and for dialogue motivated by a sincere
search for ways leading to peace. I make an urgent appeal to the
international community not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and
lasting solutions that will protect the most vulnerable and restore hope to the
afflicted peoples. I likewise emphasize the Holy Sea's full
willingness to support any initiative that promotes peace and harmony.
At the same time, we see this in the Holy Land, where despite the truce
announced in October, the civilian population continues to endure a serious
humanitarian crisis, adding further suffering to that already experienced.
The Holy Sea is especially attentive to any diplomatic initiative that seeks to
guarantee to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip a future of lasting peace and
justice in their own land as well as to the entire Palestinian people and the
entire Israeli people. In particular, the two-state solution
remains the institutional perspective for meeting the legitimate aspirations for both peoples.
Yet sadly, there has been an increase in violence in the West Bank again the pal
against the Palestinian civilian population, which has the right to live in peace in its own land.
The escalating tensions in the Caribbean Sea and along the American Pacific coast
are also a cause for serious concern. I wish to repeat my urgent appeal that
peaceful political solutions to the current situation should be sought, keeping in mind the common good of the
peoples and not the defense of partisan interests. This pertains in particular to Venezuela
in light of recent developments. In this regard, I renew my appeal to
respect the will of the Venezuelan people to safeguard the human and civil rights of all, ensuring a future of
stability and concord. To this end, inspiration may be drawn
from the example of two of its children who I had the joy of canonizing last October. Jose Gregorio Ernnandez and
Sister Carmen Reilles. May their witness inspire the building
of a society founded on justice, truth, freedom, and fraternity and thus enable
the nation to rise from the grave crisis that has afflicted it for so many years.
Other crises are scattered across the global landscape. First, I refer to the desperate
situation in Haiti, marked by many forms of violence, from human trafficking to
forced exile and kidnappings. In this regard, it is my hope that with
the necessary and concrete support of the international community, the country will be able to take the necessary steps
as soon as possible to restore democratic order, end violence, and
achieve reconciliation and peace. Nor can we forget the situation that has
affected the Great Lakes region of Africa for decades, plagued by violence that has claimed many victims.
I encourage the parties involved to seek a definitive, just, and lasting solution
that will put an end to a conflict that has lasted far too long.
Similarly, I think of the situation in Sudan, which has been transformed into a
vast battlefield, as well as the continuing political instability in South Sudan, the youngest country in the
family of nations, which came into being following the referendum 15 years ago.
We cannot fail to mention the intensifying signs of tension in East Asia and to express hope that all
parties involved will adopt a peaceful and dialogue-based approach to the
contentious issues that are a source of potential conflict.
My thoughts turn in particular to the grave humanitarian and security crisis
afflicting Myanmar which is further aggravated by the devastating earthquake last March.
With renewed intensity, I make an appeal that paths of peace and inclusive
dialogue be courageously chosen so as to guarantee everyone fair and timely
access to humanitarian aid. To be authentic, democratic processes
must be accompanied by the political will to pursue the common good, to strengthen social cohesion, and to
promote the integral development of every person. At the heart of many of the situations
I've mentioned, we can see something that August himself pointed out, namely
the persistent idea that peace is only possible through the use of force and
deterrence. While war is content with destruction,
peace requires continuous and patient efforts of construction as well as
constant vigilance. Such efforts are required of everyone starting with the countries that possess
nuclear arsenals. I think in particular of the important need to follow up on the new start
treaty which expires in February. Indeed, there's a danger of returning to
the race of producing ever more sophisticated new weapons also by means
of artificial intelligence. The latter is a tool that requires
appropriate and ethical management together with regulatory frameworks focused on the protection of freedom and
human responsibility. Dear ambassadors, notwithstanding the
tragic situation before our eyes, peace remains a difficult yet realistic good.
As Augustine reminds us, peace is the aim of our good because it is the very
aim of the city of God to which we aspire even unconsciously and of which
we can enjoy a foretaste even in the earthly city. During our pilgrimage on
this earth, peacemaking requires humility and courage.
The humility to live truthfully and the courage to forgive.
In the Christian life, we see these virtues reflected at Christmas when truth, the eternal word of God, becomes
humble flesh and at Easter when the condemned righteous one forgives his
persecutors and grants them his life as the risen one.
Moreover, if we look more closely, there is no shortage of signs of courageous hope in our time and we must constantly
support them. I think for example of the Dayton accords which 30 years ago put an
end to the bloodstained war in Bosnia and Segoina despite difficulties and tensions they
opened up the possibility of a more prosperous and harmonious future.
I think two of the joint declaration of peace between Armenia and Aubaijan signed last August.
We hope this will pave the way for a just and lasting peace in the south caucases and resolve the outstanding
issues to the satisfaction of both parties. I likewise called to mind the efforts
made in recent years by the Vietnamese authorities to improve relations with the Holy Sea and the conditions in which
the church functions in the country. These are all seeds of peace that need
to be cultivated. This coming October will mark the 8th
century of the death of St. Francis of Aizi, a man of peace and dialogue,
universally recognized even by those who do not belong to the Catholic Church.
His life shines brightly for it was inspired by the courage to live in truth
and the knowledge that a peaceful world is built starting with humble hearts
torn turned towards the heavenly city. A humble and peaceloving heart is what I
wish for each of us and for all who dwell in our countries at the beginning of this new year. Thank you.
[Applause]
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