VATICAN : POPE : GOD WANTS AND LOVES EACH OF US

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VIS RELEASES:
ANGELUS: GOD WANTS AND LOVES EACH ONE OF US

VATICAN CITY, 8 JAN 2012 (VIS) - This morning, after celebrating Mass in the Sistine Chapel during which he administered the Sacrament of Baptism to a group of infants, the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. (IMAGE SOURCE: COMMUNIO BLOG)

"Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord", he said. "I would like to reflect briefly upon our status as children of God, but I would begin first of all by highlighting the simple fact that we are children, a fundamental condition which unities us all. ... Coming into the world is never our choice. ... Yet during our existence we can develop a positive attitude towards life, we can welcome it as a gift. ... This is a sign of maturity in our being, and in our relationship with our parents which is thus filled with recognition".

"All of us are likewise children of God. God is the origin of the existence of all creatures, He is the Father of each individual human being, with each of whom He has a unique personal relationship. God wants and loves each one of us. ... Thanks to the faith, thanks to a profound and personal 'yes' to God as the origin and foundation of my existence, ... I welcome life as a gift of the Father Who is in heaven; a Parent ... Who, in the depths of my heart, I feel to be my Father, the Father or all my brothers and sisters in humanity, a Father Who is intensely good and faithful".

"This faith in God the Father rests upon Jesus Christ. His person and His history reveal the Father to us. ... To believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, enables us 'to be reborn from above', in other words from God Who is Love. ... This is the significance of the Sacrament of Baptism: it is a new birth which comes about thanks to the Holy Spirit".

"This Sunday concludes the period of Christmas. Let us give thanks unto God for this great mystery. ... God became the child of man that man might become the child of God. Let us then renew our joy at being children, ... born of the love of a father and a mother, and reborn in God's love through Baptism".

Following the Angelus, the Pope addressed greetings to the pilgrims in various languages.
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THE POPE BAPTISES SIXTEEN CHILDREN IN THE SISTINE  CHAPEL

VATICAN  CITY, 8 JAN 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Sistine Chapel the Pope presided  at the celebration of the Eucharist for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord,  during which he baptised sixteen newborn infants.

   In his homily Benedict XVI commented on today's responsorial psalm from the  Book of Isaiah, to which the faithful respond: "With joy we will draw  water from the wells of salvation". He explained: "As adults, we  have undertaken to draw from good wells, for our own benefit and that of the  people entrusted to our care. You in particular, dear parents and godparents,  do so for the benefit of these children. And what are the 'wells of  salvation'? They are the Word of God and the Sacraments.

   "Adults", the Pope added, "are the first who should draw from  these wells, in order to guide young people in their development. Parents  must give a great deal, but in order to give they must also receive,  otherwise they become empty and dry. Parents are not the well, just as we  priests are not the well: we are the channels through which the vital lymph  of God's love must pass. If we detach ourselves from the well, ... we are no  longer able to educate others".

   "The first and most important form of education comes about through  witness", the Holy Father went on, turning his attention to the Gospel  reading. "John the Baptist was a great educator of his disciples,  because he led them to the encounter with Jesus, to Whom he bore witness. ...  True educators do not bind people to themselves, they are not possessive.  They want their children or disciples to learn to know the truth, and to  establish a personal relationship therewith. Educators carry out their  responsibilities to the full by maintaining an attentive and faithful presence,  but their objective is to ensure that their pupils hear the voice of truth,  ... and follow that voice on an individual journey".

   St. John the Evangelist writes: "the Spirit is the one that  testifies". For this reason "it is very important for parents and  godparents to believe strongly in the presence and action of the Holy Spirit,  to invoke and accept Him ... through prayer and the Sacraments. It is, in  fact, He Who illuminates the minds of educators and warms their hearts,  enabling them to transmit knowledge and love of Jesus. Prayer is the main  premise for education, because through prayer we put ourselves in a position  whereby we leave the initiative to God. ... At the same time, when we pray we  listen to God Who inspires us to play our role well, that role which is in  any case ours and which we must carry out. The Sacraments, especially the  Eucharist and Penance, enable us to undertake our educational activity in  union with Christ, in communion with Him and continually renewed by His  forgiveness".

   The Pope concluded by entrusting the newly baptised infants to the Blessed  Virgin, "that they may grow in age, wisdom and grace, and become true  Christians, faithful and joyful witnesses of the love of God".
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 HOLY FATHER'S ANNUAL ADDRESS TO THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS

VATICAN  CITY, 9 JAN 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Sala Regia of the Vatican  Apostolic Palace, Pope Benedict pronounced his traditional annual address to members  of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. Before making his  remarks, the Pope was greeted by Alejandro Emilio Valladares Lanza of  Honduras, dean of the diplomatic corps, then received the greetings of the  ambassadors as a whole formulated in a speech delivered by Jean-Claude Michel  of the Principality of Monaco, vice dean.

   The Holy See currently maintains full diplomatic relations with 179 States,  to which must be added the European Union and the Sovereign Military Order of  Malta. It also has relations of a special nature with the Palestine  Liberation Organisation.

   Furthermore, the Holy See has observer-State status at the United Nations, as  well as being a member of seven organisations and agencies of the UN system,  observer in eight others, and member or observer in five regional  organisations.

   Ample extracts of the Holy Father's address are give below:

   "Through you my good wishes extend to all the nations which you  represent and with which the Holy See maintains diplomatic relations. It is a  joy for us that Malaysia joined this community in the past year. ... A sign  of the cooperation existing between the Catholic Church and States is seen in  the Accords reached in 2011 with Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Mozambique. ...  The Holy See also desires to establish a fruitful dialogue with international  and regional organisations, and in this context I note with satisfaction that  the member States of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have  accepted the appointment of an apostolic nuncio accredited to that  organisation. Nor can I fail to mention that last December the Holy See  strengthened its longstanding cooperation with the International Organisation  for Migration by becoming a full member".

   "Finally, I wish to greet South Sudan, which last July became a  sovereign State. I am happy that this was achieved peacefully. Sadly,  tensions and clashes have ensued in recent months, and I express my hope that  all may unite their efforts to enable the people of Sudan and South Sudan to  experience at last a period of peace, freedom and development".

   "Today's meeting traditionally takes place at the end of the Christmas  season, during which the Church celebrates the coming of the Saviour. He  comes in the dark of night and so His presence is immediately a source of  light and joy. ... Truly the world is dark wherever men and women no longer  acknowledge their bond with the Creator and thereby endanger their relation  to other creatures and to creation itself. The present moment is sadly marked  by a profound disquiet and the various crises - economic, political and  social - are a dramatic expression of this.

   "Here I cannot fail to address before all else the grave and disturbing  developments of the global economic and financial crisis. The crisis has not  only affected families and businesses in the more economically advanced  countries where it originated, creating a situation in which many people,  especially the young, have felt disoriented and frustrated in their  aspirations for a serene future, but it has also had a profound impact on the  life of developing countries. We must not lose heart, but instead resolutely  rediscover our way through new forms of commitment. The crisis can and must  be an incentive to reflect on human existence and on the importance of its  ethical dimension, even before we consider the mechanisms governing economic  life: not only in an effort to stem private losses or to shore up national  economies, but to give ourselves new rules which ensure that all can lead a  dignified life and develop their abilities for the benefit of the community  as a whole.

   "The effects of the present moment of uncertainty are felt particularly  by the young. Their disquiet has given rise in recent months to agitation  which has affected various regions, at times severely. I think first and  foremost of North Africa and the Middle East, where young people, among  others, who are suffering from poverty and unemployment and are fearful of an  uncertain future, have launched what has developed into a vast movement  calling for reforms and a more active share in political and social life. ...  Initial optimism has yielded to an acknowledgment of the difficulties of this  moment of transition and change. ... Respect for the person must be at the centre  of institutions and laws; it must lead to the end of all violence and  forestall the risk that due concern for popular demands and the need for  social solidarity turn into mere means for maintaining or seizing power. I  invite the international community to dialogue with the actors in the current  processes, in a way respectful of peoples and in the realisation that the  building of stable and reconciled societies, opposed to every form of unjust  discrimination, particularly religious discrimination, represents a much  vaster horizon than that of short-term electoral gains.

   "I am deeply concerned for the people of those countries where  hostilities and acts of violence continue, particularly Syria, where I pray  for a rapid end to the bloodshed and the beginning of a fruitful dialogue  between the political forces, encouraged by the presence of independent  observers. In the Holy Land, where tensions between Palestinians and Israelis  affect the stability of the entire Middle East, it is necessary that the leaders  of these two peoples adopt courageous and farsighted decisions in favour of  peace. I was pleased to learn that, following an initiative of the Kingdom of  Jordan, dialogue has been resumed; I express my hope that it will be  maintained, and that it will lead to a lasting peace which guarantees the  right of the two peoples to dwell in security in sovereign States and within  secure and internationally recognised borders. ... I am also following  closely the developments in Iraq, and I deplore the attacks that have  recently caused so much loss of life; I encourage the nation's leaders to  advance firmly on the path to full national reconciliation".

   "Education is a crucial theme for every generation, for it determines  the healthy development of each person and the future of all society. ... In  addition to a clear goal, that of leading young people to a full knowledge of  reality and thus of truth, education needs settings. Among these, pride of  place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman. This is  not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every  society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human  dignity and the future of humanity itself. ... There is a need for policies  which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue. It is in the  family that we become open to the world and to life. ... In this context of  openness to life, I note with satisfaction the recent sentence of the Court  of Justice of the European Union forbidding patenting processes relative to  human embryonic stem cells, as well as the resolution of the Parliamentary  Assembly of the Council of Europe condemning prenatal selection on the basis  of sex. More generally, and with particular reference to the West, I am convinced  that legislative measures which not only permit but at times even promote  abortion for reasons of convenience or for questionable medical motives  compromise the education of young people and, as a result, the future of  humanity.

   "A similarly essential role in the development of the person is played  by educational institutions. ... There is a need to implement educational  policies which ensure that schooling is available to everyone and which, in  addition to promoting the cognitive development of the individual, show  concern for a balanced personal growth, including openness to the  Transcendent. The Catholic Church has always been particularly active in the  field of education and schooling, making a valued contribution alongside that  of State institutions. It is my hope that this contribution will be  acknowledged and prized also by the legislation of the various nations.

   "In this perspective. it is clear that an effective educational  programme also calls for respect for religious freedom. This freedom has  individual, collective and institutional dimensions. We are speaking of the  first of human rights, for it expresses the most fundamental reality of the  person. All too often, for various reasons, this right remains limited or is  flouted. I cannot raise this subject without first paying tribute to the  memory of the Pakistani Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, whose untiring battle for  the rights of minorities ended in his tragic death.

   "Sadly, we are not speaking of an isolated case. In many countries  Christians are deprived of fundamental rights and sidelined from public life;  in other countries they endure violent attacks against their churches and  their homes. ... In other parts of the world, we see policies aimed at  marginalising the role of religion in the life of society, as if it were a  cause of intolerance rather than a valued contribution to education in  respect for human dignity, justice and peace. In the past year religiously  motivated terrorism has also reaped numerous victims, especially in Asia and  in Africa. ... Religion cannot be employed as a pretext for setting aside the  rules of justice and of law for the sake of the intended 'good'".

   "I would also like to bring up several encouraging signs in the area of  religious freedom. I am referring to the legislative amendment whereby the  public juridical personality of religious minorities was recognised in  Georgia; I think too of the sentence of the European Court of Human Rights  upholding the presence of the crucifix in Italian schoolrooms. ... I hope  that Italy will continue to foster a stable relationship between Church and  State, and thus serve as an example to which other nations can look with  respect and interest.

   "On the continent of Africa ... it is essential that cooperation between  Christian communities and governments favour progress along the path of  justice, peace and reconciliation, where respect is shown for members of all  ethnic groups and all religions. It is painful to realise that in different  countries of the continent this goal remains distant. I think in particular  of the renewed outbreak of violence in Nigeria, ... the aftermath of the  civil war in Cote d'Ivoire, the continuing instability in the Great Lakes  region and the humanitarian emergency in the countries of the Horn of Africa.  I once again appeal to the international community to make every effort to  find a solution to the crisis which has gone on for years in Somalia.

   "Finally I would stress that education, correctly understood, cannot  fail to foster respect for creation. We cannot disregard the grave natural  calamities which in 2011 affected various regions of South-East Asia, or  ecological disasters like that of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.  Environmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and  fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral  human development. For this reason, I hope that, pursuant to the seventeenth  session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on Climate  Change recently concluded in Durban, the international community will prepare  for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) as an authentic  'family of nations' and thus with a great sense of solidarity and responsibility  towards present and future generations".

   "Inspired by the certainty of faith, the Holy See continues to offer its  proper contribution to the international community in accordance with the  twofold desire clearly enunciated by Vatican Council II, whose fiftieth  anniversary takes place this year: to proclaim the lofty grandeur of our  human calling and the presence within us of a divine seed, and to offer  humanity sincere cooperation in building a sense of universal fraternity  corresponding to this calling".

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