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| Pope Benedict XVI (C) prays in front of the traditional Crib in St Peter's Square at the Vatican December 31, 2011, after leading the First Vespers and Te Deum prayers in Saint Peter's Basilica. |
By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Humanity faces a decisive challenge - educating new generations in justice and peace in order to avoid the violent tragedies of the past, Pope Benedict said in his New Year address on Sunday.
Benedict, 84, marked his seventh New Year as pope by celebrating a Mass for several thousand people in St Peter's Basilica on the day the Roman Catholic Church calls its annual World Day of Peace.
The pope said this year's theme, "Educating Young People in Justice and Peace," is a task for every generation following the two world wars in the 20th century and other conflicts since.
Educating the young "in knowledge of the truth, in fundamental values and virtues, is to look to the future with hope," he said in his homily.
Young people needed all-round education, and this required a social commitment to justice and peace, the leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics said. They must use advances in communications technology to promote peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, dialogue and understanding.
"Young people ... are open to these attitudes but the social reality in which they grow up can lead them to think and act in the opposite way, even to be intolerant and violent," he said.
As usual at papal events since October the pope, who is believed to have arthritis in the legs, was wheeled up the central aisle of St Peter's standing on a mobile platform.
The Vatican says this is to save his strength, allow more people to see him and prevent attacks like one on Christmas Eve 2009, when a woman lunged at him and knocked him to the ground.
On New Year's Eve, at the traditional "Te Deum" Mass of thanksgiving, the pope said many people were entering the new year "with some trepidation", worried "by the crisis in economic affairs".
On Friday, feast of the Epiphany, Benedict will lead the consecration of new bishops in St Peter's and on Sunday he will baptise babies in the Sistine Chapel. He will visit Mexico and Cuba in March and may visit Lebanon sometime in 2012.
(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Tim Pearce)
4 comments:
What the!@#$.
Ain't you got nothing to post.
Alahu Akbar.
Vatican City is a place of whoredome, spiritual prostitution that is. She is an idolatrous city. She could be the harlot woman riding on the beast mentioned in the book of Revelation.
Peter was not the first Roman Pope, he was a disciple of a Jewish Messiah, an Israelite.
The Romans stole the religion of the Jews and made it into their own religion. Mixing paganism into their beliefs, therefore defiled the true worship of the God of Israel.
Khmer Israel
Oh Lord,
Please forgive me for I have sin, a sin for I could not do much to help free my homeland from the bloody hands of the Viet and the Thai. Can you help Lord?
I would give up my life for the freedom of my dearest homeland, just show me the way Lord!
One native Khmer of Siemreap relocated to Kompong Cham
Vatican is a crime syndicate; read its history of tortures and manipulative that claimed countless lives in the name of religion. In similarity to Islam the catholic also used force to suppress the unbelievers-in a violence means.
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