Pope Francis called for peace in his Christmas message Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to the world), delivered from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Peace, he said, should be a daily commitment of all human beings on Earth.
“It is a homemade peace,” he said.
After he mentioned armed conflicts around the world in Syria, Palestine and Israel, South Sudan, Nigeria, Congo, and the Horn of Africa where the failed state Somalia is located, Pope Francis prayed for the Philippines.
His prayer was premised on the need for healing of the environment
“Lord of heaven and earth, look upon our planet, frequently exploited by human greed and rapacity,” he said.
He then pleaded for protection of all victims of natural disasters, especially the Filipinos, gravely affected by November’s supertyphoon.
The Pope recognized that “human greed and rapacity” are what worsen human suffering, not Nature itself.
This should remind us of the obligation of all citizens, not just officials and leaders, to be good stewards of a bountiful Earth.
In the preceding paragraph, the Pope linked the salvation promise of Christmas with battered children.
“Child of Bethlehem, touch the hearts of all those engaged in human trafficking, that they may realize the gravity of this crime against humanity. Look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed conflicts, and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become soldiers.”
Pope Francis has showed his deep concern for the Philippines, which he has tentative plans to visit, particularly Cebu, in January 2016 for the Internationa Eucharistic Congress.
After the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol and Cebu on Oct. 15, he expressed his “closeness to the people of the Philippines” on Twitter.
In his Nov. 10 tweet, Pope Francis said: “I ask all of you to join me in prayer for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda especially those in the beloved islands of the Philippines.”
His call for peace was also remarkably inclusive as he reached out to non-Catholics.
“I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace.”
Here is a pope attuned to the real issues of our time with a heart profoundly committed to the unity of humankind.