"Nor can we overlook the fact that wars involve another horrendous crime, the   
   crime of rape. This is a most grave offence against the dignity of women, who   
   are not only violated in body but also in spirit, resulting in a trauma hard   
   to erase and with effects on society as well. Sadly, even apart from   
   situations of war, all too many women even today are victims of violence.   
    "Every conflict and war is emblematic of the throwaway culture, since   
   people's lives are deliberately crushed by those in power. Yet that culture is   
   also fuelled by more subtle and insidious forms of rejection. I think in the   
   first place of the way the sick are treated; often they are cast aside and   
   marginalised like the lepers in the Gospel. Among the lepers of our own day we   
   can count the victims of the new and terrible outbreak of Ebola which,   
   especially in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, has already taken over six   
   thousand lives. Today I wish publicly to praise and thank those healthcare   
   workers who, alongside men and women religious and volunteers, are caring in   
   every way possible for the sick and their families, especially orphaned   
   children. At the same time I renew my appeal to the entire international   
   community to provide adequate humanitarian assistance to patients and to make   
   concerted efforts to combat the disease.   
    "Together with lives thrown away because of war and disease, there are those   
   of numerous refugees and displaced persons. Once again, the reality can be   
   appreciated by reflecting on the childhood of Jesus, which sheds light on   
   another form of the throwaway culture which harms relationships and causes the   
   breakdown of society. Indeed, because of Herod's brutality, the Holy Family   
   was forced to flee to Egypt, and was only able to return several years later.   
   One consequence of the situations of conflict just described is the flight of   
   thousands of persons from their homeland. At times they leave not so much in   
   search of a better future, but any future at all, since remaining at home can   
   mean certain death. How many persons lose their lives during these cruel   
   journeys, the victims of unscrupulous and greedy thugs? I raised this issue   
   during my recent visit to the European Parliament, where I insisted that 'we   
   cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery'. Then too there is   
   the alarming fact that many immigrants, especially in the Americas, are   
   unaccompanied children, all the more at risk and in need of greater care,   
   attention and protection.   
    "Often coming without documents to strange lands whose language they do not   
   speak, migrants find it difficult to be accepted and to find work. In addition   
   to the uncertainties of their flight, they have to face the drama of   
   rejection. A change of attitude is needed on our part, moving from   
   indifference and fear to genuine acceptance of others. This of course calls   
   for 'enacting adequate legislation to protect the rights of... citizens and to   
   ensure the acceptance of immigrants'. I thank all those who, even at the cost   
   of their lives, are working to assist refugees and immigrants, and I urge   
   states and international organisations to make every effort to resolve these   
   grave humanitarian problems and to provide the immigrants' countries of origin   
   with forms of aid which can help promote their social and political   
   development and settle their internal conflicts, which are the chief cause of   
   this phenomenon. 'We need to take action against the causes and not only the   
   effects'. This will also enable immigrants to return at some point to their   
   own country and to contribute to its growth and development.   
    "Together with immigrants, displaced people and refugees, there are many   
   other 'hidden exiles' living in our homes and in our families. I think   
   especially of the elderly, the handicapped and young people. The elderly   
   encounter rejection when they are considered a 'burdensome presence', while   
   the young are thrown away when they are denied concrete prospects of   
   employment to build their future. Indeed, there is no poverty worse than that   
   which takes away work and the dignity of work, or which turns work into a form   
   of enslavement. This is what I sought to stress during my recent meeting with   
   popular movements working to finding adequate solutions to some of today's   
   problems, including the scourge of rising unemployment among the young,   
   illegal labour, and the dramatic situation of so many workers, especially   
   children, who are exploited out of greed. All this is contrary to human   
   dignity and the fruit of a mentality which is centred on money, benefits and   
   economic profit, to the detriment of our fellow man.   
    "Then too, the family itself is not infrequently considered disposable,   
   thanks to the spread of an individualistic and self-centred culture which   
   severs human bonds and leads to a dramatic fall in birth rates, as well as   
   legislation which benefits various forms of cohabitation rather than   
   adequately supporting the family for the welfare of society as a whole.   
    "Among the causes of these realities is a model of globalisation which levels   
   out differences and even discards cultures, cutting them off from those   
   factors which shape each people's identity and constitute a legacy essential   
   to their sound social development. In a drab, anonymous world, it is easy to   
   understand the difficulties and the discouragement felt by many people who   
   have literally lost the sense of being alive. This tragic situation is   
   aggravated by the continuing economic crisis, which fosters pessimism and   
   social conflict. I have been able to see its effects here in Rome, where I   
   meet many people in trying situations, and in the various journeys I have made   
   in Italy.   
    "To the beloved Italian nation, then, I would like to express my hope that in   
   the continuing climate of social, political and economic uncertainty the   
   Italian people will not yield to apathy or dissension, but will rediscover   
   those values of shared concern and solidarity which are at the basis of their   
   culture and civic life, and are a reason for confidence both now and in the   
   future, especially for the young.   
    "Speaking of the young, I wish to mention my journey to Korea, where last   
   August I met thousands of young people assembled for the Sixth Asian Youth   
   Day. There I spoke of the need to treasure our young, 'seeking to pass on the   
   legacy of the past and to apply it to the challenges of the present'. This   
   demands that we reflect on 'how well we are transmitting our values to the   
   next generation and on the kind of world and society we are preparing to hand   
   on to them'.   
    "This evening I will have the joy of setting off once more for Asia, to visit   
   Sri Lanka and the Philippines as a sign of my interest and pastoral concern   
   for the people of that vast continent. To them and to their governments I wish   
   to voice yet again the desire of the Holy See to offer its own contribution of   
   service to the common good, to harmony and social concord. In particular, I   
   express my hope for a resumption of dialogue between the two Koreas, sister   
   countries which speak the same language.   
    "Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, at the beginning of a new year,   
   though, we do not wish our outlook to be dominated by pessimism, or the   
   defects and deficiencies of the present time. We also want to thank God for   
   the gifts and blessings he has bestowed upon us, for the occasions of dialogue   
   and encounter which he has granted us, and for the fruits of peace which he   
   has enabled us to savour.   
    "I experienced an eloquent sign that the culture of encounter is possible   
   during my visit to Albania, a nation full of young people who represent hope   
   for the future. Despite the painful events of its recent history, the country   
   is marked by the 'peaceful coexistence and collaboration that exists among   
   followers of different religions', in an atmosphere of respect and mutual   
   trust between Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims. This is an important sign that   
   sincere faith in God makes one open to others, generates dialogue and works   
   for the good, whereas violence is always the product of a falsification of   
   religion, its use as a pretext for ideological schemes whose only goal is   
   power over others. Similarly, in my recent journey to Turkey, a historic   
   bridge between East and West, I was able to see the fruits of ecumenical and   
   interreligious dialogue, as well as efforts made to assist refugees from other   
   countries of the Middle East. I also encountered this spirit of openness in   
   Jordan, which I visited at the beginning of my pilgrimage to the Holy Land,   
   and in the testimonies which come from Lebanon, a country which I pray will   
   overcome its current political problems.   
    "One example close to my heart of how dialogue can build bridges comes from   
   the recent decision of the United States of America and Cuba to end a lack of   
   communication which has endured for more than half a century, and to initiate   
   a rapprochement for the benefit of their respective citizens. Here I think too   
   of the people of Burkina Faso, who are experiencing a period of significant   
   political and institutional change, with the hope that a renewed spirit of   
   cooperation will contribute to the growth of a more just and fraternal   
   society. I also note with pleasure that last March an agreement was signed to   
   end long years of tension in the Philippines. I wish to encourage the efforts   
   made to ensure a stable peace in Colombia, as well as the initiatives taken to   
   restore political and social harmony in Venezuela. At the same time, I express   
   my hope that a definitive agreement may soon be reached between Iran and the   
   5+1 Group regarding the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and my   
   appreciation of the efforts already made in this regard. I note with   
   satisfaction the intention of the United States to close the Guantanamo   
   detention facilities, while acknowledging the generous willingness of several   
   countries to receive the detainees. I heartily thank those countries. Finally,   
   I would like to express my appreciation and encouragement to those countries   
   actively engaged in promoting human development, political stability and civil   
   coexistence between their citizens.   
    "Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, on 6 August 1945, humanity   
   witnessed one of the most horrendous catastrophes in its history. For the   
   first time, in a new and unprecedented way, the world experienced the full   
   potential of man's destructive power. From the ashes of that immense tragedy   
   which was the Second World War, there arose among the nations a new will for   
   dialogue and encounter which inspired the United Nations Organisation, whose   
   seventieth anniversary we will celebrate this year. In his visit to the UN   
   headquarters fifty years ago, my predecessor, Pope Paul VI, noted that 'the   
   blood of millions, countless unheard-of sufferings, useless massacres and   
   frightening ruins have sanctioned the agreement that unites you with an oath   
   that ought to change the future of the world: never again war, never again   
   war! It is peace, peace, that has to guide the destiny of the nations of all   
   mankind'.   
    "This is likewise my own hope-filled prayer for this new year, which, for   
   that matter, will see the continuation of two significant processes: the   
   drawing up of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, with the adoption of   
   Sustainable Development Goals, and the drafting of a new Climate Change   
   Agreement. The latter is urgently needed. The indispensable presupposition of   
   all these is peace, which, even more than an end to all wars, is the fruit of   
   heartfelt conversion. With these sentiments, I once more offer to each of you,   
   to your families and your peoples, my prayerful good wishes that this new year   
   of 2015 will be one of hope and peace".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope baptises thirty-three infants in the Sistine Chapel   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)