Pope Francis is focusing his new message for peace in forgiveness. Quoting his predecessor, Benedict XVI, he said that it is the Magna Carta of Christianity: loving one's enemy.
That is why Pope Francis highlights the importance of the victims of violence. He said their role is crucial because when 'victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promotors of nonviolent peacemaking.â?
The pope asks for nuclear disarmament and a new style of international politics. He also praises 'non-violenceâ? practiced by leaders such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King and he insists that religious leaders take action against fundamentalism. 'No religion is terrorist.â?
Lastly, he underlined the role of family, because that is where one learns to live and share. Everyone, he concluded, can be a peacemaker with small, everyday gestures.
The World Day of Peace has been celebrated every January 1 for the last 50 years.
JRB/AG
RR
-F
-PR
Up:JD
