VATICAN - May peace spring up for the people of Syria, in the Land where the Redeemer was born, in the Countries of Africa and on the vast continent of Asia

Friday, 28 December 2012

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - " In this Year of Faith, I express my Christmas greetings and good wishes in these words taken from a Psalm: 'Truth has sprung out from the earth.' This is how the Holy Father Benedict XVI began his Christmas message at noon on December 25, from the balcony of the Vatican Basilica. "In Jesus, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, kindness and truth do indeed meet; justice and peace have kissed; truth has sprung out of the earth and justice has looked down from heaven," the Pope continued. "God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family. And yet, this same God cannot enter my heart unless I open the door to him. Porta fidei! The door of faith! ... In this world there is a good soil which God has prepared, that he might come to dwell among us. A dwelling place for his presence in the world. This good earth exists, and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace."
The Holy Father expressed the hope that peace springs up in different parts of the world, citing first the people of Syria, "deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims"; therefore "may peace spring up in the Land where the Redeemer was born, and may he grant Israelis and Palestinians courage to end to long years of conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path of negotiation "; may peace spring up "in the countries of North Africa, which are experiencing a major transition in pursuit of a new future – especially the beloved land of Egypt, blessed bt the childhood of Jesus "; and may "peace spring up in the vast continent of Asia ... May the King of Peace turn his gaze to the new leaders of the People’s Republic of China for the high task which awaits them"; "May the Birth of Christ favor their return of peace in Mali and that of concord in Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap people, particularly among Christians. May the Redeemer bring help and comfort to the refugees from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and grant peace to Kenya, where brutal attacks have struck the civilian population and places of worship ", and finally " may Child Jesus bless the great numbers of the faithful who celebrate him in Latin America . May he increase their human and Christian virtues, sustain all those forced to leave behind their families and their land, and confirm government leaders in their commitment to development and fighting crime." (SL) (Agenzia Fides 28/12/2012)


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