Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - “If we consider the tragic scenario of violent fratricidal conflicts in different parts of the world, and the untold sufferings and injustices to which they have given rise, the only truly constructive choice is, as Saint Paul proposes, to flee what is evil and hold fast to what is good (cf. Rom 12:9).... Peace is a good to be promoted with good”. This is part of Pope John Paul II’s Message for the 38th World Peace Day on 1 January 2005 for which he chose the theme: "Do Not Be Overcome By Evil But Overcome Evil With Good". In the Message, presented this morning at the Holy See Press Office, the Pope underlines the connection between peace and moral good, common good and the goods of the earth.
“From the beginning, humanity has known the tragedy of evil and has struggled to grasp its roots and to explain its causes” the Pope says, “evil is not some impersonal, deterministic force at work in the world. It is the result of human freedom. Freedom, which distinguishes human beings from every other creature on earth, is ever present at the heart of the drama of evil. At its deepest level, evil is a tragic rejection of the demands of love.(1) Moral good, on the other hand, is born of love, shows itself as love and is directed towards love”.
In many ways evil is present in the situation in the world today and to direct its path humanity needs to preserve and esteem that common patrimony of moral values bestowed by God himself, the Holy Father writes. Referring to his address to the UN General Assembly ten years ago when he spoke about the need for common commitment to the service of peace, and referred to the "grammar" of the universal moral law in the Message he says “This common grammar of the moral law requires ever greater commitment and responsibility in ensuring that the life of individuals and of peoples is respected and advanced. In this light, the evils of a social and political nature which afflict the world, particularly those provoked by outbreaks of violence, are to be vigorously condemned”. In this context the Pope speaks of the ‘beloved continent’ of Africa, the dangerous situation in Palestine, the land of Jesus, the tragic phenomenon of terrorist violence and the unfolding drama in Iraq. He says, to attain peace people must realise “that violence is an unacceptable evil and that it never solves problems” and that “what is needed is a great effort to form consciences and to educate the younger generation to goodness by upholding that integral and fraternal humanism which the Church proclaims and promotes”.
The Pope then associates the good of peace with the common good: “Each person, in some way, is called to work for the common good, constantly looking out for the good of others as if it were his own. This responsibility belongs in a particular way to political authorities at every level, since they are called to create that sum of social conditions which permit and foster in human beings the integral development of their person..” The common good cannot be seen as a purely socio-economic state of well-being lacking any transcendent purpose,.
In the fourth paragraph the Message focuses on the ethical requirements for the use of the goods of the earth and on world citizenship, to which every person has a right: “By the mere fact of being conceived, a child is entitled to rights and deserving of care and attention; and someone has the duty to provide these. The condemnation of racism, the protection of minors, the provision of aid to displaced persons and refugees, and the mobilisation of international solidarity towards all the needy are nothing other than consistent applications of the principle of world citizenship.”. The Holy Father then mentions some of the questions on the agenda of the international community: the use and destination of new goods fruits of scientific knowledge and technological progress which must be put at the service of the primary needs of the human person; public goods “These are goods which all citizens automatically enjoy, without having consciously chosen them or contributed to them in any way”, as for example for example, at the national level, with such goods as the judiciary system, the defence system and the network of highways and railways; the fight against poverty, “particularly when we consider the extreme poverty in which millions of people are still living.”. With regard to this matter the Pope mentions three causes: the foreign debt of poor countries, financial resources for development; the need for “new creativity in charity, in order to spread the Gospel of hope in the world.”. At this point the Pope speaks once again of the situation in Africa: “numerous armed conflicts, pandemic diseases aggravated by extreme poverty, and political instability leading to widespread insecurity. These are tragic situations which call for a radically new direction for Africa: there is a need to create new forms of solidarity, at bilateral and multilateral levels, through a more decisive commitment on the part of all, with complete conviction that the well-being of the peoples of Africa is an indispensable condition for the attainment of the universal common good.”.
By way of conclusion John Paul II recalls the power of Christian hope. Despite the many evils afflicting the world, “Christians nourish an invincible hope which sustains their efforts to promote justice and peace, certain that it is possible to build a better world. “No man or woman of good will can renounce the struggle to overcome evil with good. This fight can be fought effectively only with the weapons of love”. In this year dedicated in a special way to the Eucharist the Pope recalls that “sharing in the one bread and the one cup, we come to realise that we are "God's family" and that together we can make our own effective contribution to building a world based on the values of justice, freedom and peace.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 16/12/2004; Righe 70 - Parole 1,057)
