every person and every creature can dwell in peace, in the harmony of God's   
   original creation.   
    "At the beginning of a new year, the Church invites us to contemplate Mary's   
   divine maternity as an icon of peace. The ancient promise finds fulfilment in   
   her person. She believed in the words of the angel, conceived her Son and thus   
   became the Mother of the Lord. Through her, through her 'yes', the fullness of   
   time came about. The Gospel we have just heard tells us that the Virgin Mary   
   'treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart'. She appears to us   
   as   
   a vessel filled to the brim with the memory of Jesus, as the Seat of Wisdom to   
   whom we can have recourse to understand His teaching aright. Today Mary makes   
   it   
   possible for us to grasp the meaning of events which affect us personally,   
   events which also affect our families, our countries and the entire world.   
   Where   
   philosophical reason and political negotiation cannot arrive, there the power   
   of   
   faith, which brings the grace of Christ's Gospel, can arrive, opening ever new   
   pathways to reason and to negotiation.   
    "Blessed are you, Mary, for you gave the Son of God to our world. But even   
   more   
   blessed are you for having believed in Him. Full of faith, you conceived Jesus   
   first in your heart and then in your womb, and thus became the Mother of all   
   believers. Send us, O Mother, your blessing on this day consecrated to your   
   honour. Show us the face of Jesus your Son, Who bestows upon the entire world   
   mercy and peace. Amen".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: the enemy of peace is not only war, but also indifference   
    Vatican City, 1 January 2016 (VIS) - Following the Eucharistic celebration   
   Pope   
   Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to   
   pray the Angelus with the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.   
   Before the Marian prayer, the Pope wished a happy new year to those present and   
   asked the Lord to grant peace on this, the 49th World Day of Peace.   
    "We know that with the new year not everything changes, and that many of   
   yesterday's problems will remain even tomorrow. So I convey to you my wishes   
   supported by true hope, which I draw from today's liturgy. ... I also hope that   
   the Lord may look upon you and that you may rejoice, knowing that every day His   
   merciful face, more radiant than the sun, shines on you and never sets!   
   Discovering God's face renews life, because He is a Father of his beloved   
   humanity, Who never tires of starting over with us to renew us. But He does not   
   promise magical changes, He does not use a magic wand. He loves to change   
   reality from within, with patience and love; He asks to enter into our lives   
   delicately, like rain on the earth, to bring fruit. And He always awaits us and   
   looks upon us with tenderness. Every morning, as we reawaken, we can say,   
   'Today   
   the Lord makes his face to shine upon me'. A beautiful prayer that is also   
   reality".   
    Francis remarked that today we celebrate the World Day of Peace, whose theme   
   this year is "Overcome indifference and win peace", and said that peace, that   
   God the Father wishes to sow throughout the world, "must be cultivated by us.   
   Not only that, it must also be 'won'. This implies a true struggle, a spiritual   
   battle that takes place within our heart. The enemy of peace is not only war,   
   but also indifference, which makes us think only of ourselves, so that we   
   create   
   barriers, suspicions, fears and narrow-mindedness. These things are the enemies   
   of peace. We have, thanks be to God, access to much information; however at   
   times we are so immersed in news that we are distracted from reality, from the   
   brother and sister who need us. Let us start to open our heart, turning our   
   attention to our neighbour, to those who are closest to us. This is the path to   
   winning peace".   
    The Pope asked for the help of the Queen of Peace, the Mother of God, whose   
   solemnity we celebrate today. He explained that she "treasured these things,   
   pondering them in her heart. ... Let us entrust this new year to the Mother, so   
   that peace and mercy might grow".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Te Deum: good always prevails   
    Vatican City, 31 December 2015 (VIS) - On Thursday at 5 p.m., in the Vatican   
   Basilica, the Holy Father presided at the first Vespers of the Solemnity of   
   Holy   
   Mary Mother of God. This was followed by the exposition of the Holy Sacrament,   
   the traditional "Te Deum" hymn of thanksgiving for the year end, and the   
   Eucharistic blessing. Francis concluded by blessing the nativity display in St.   
   Peter's Square.   
    "Retracing the days of the past year can either take the form of a remembrance   
   of facts and events leading to moments of joy and suffering, or of seeking to   
   understand whether we have perceived the presence of God Who renews and   
   sustains   
   all with His help. We are called upon to confirm whether the events of the   
   world   
   were realised in accordance with God's will, or if we listened principally to   
   the plans of men, often loaded with private interests, of insatiable thirst for   
   power and gratuitous violence".   
    "However, today our eyes must focus in particular on the signs that God has   
   granted us, to touch with our own hand the strength of his merciful love. We   
   cannot forget that many days have been marked by violence, death, and the   
   unspeakable suffering of many innocent people, of refugees compelled to leave   
   their homeland, of men, women and children without a fixed abode, food or   
   sustenance. And then, great gestures of goodness, love and solidarity have   
   filled the days of this year, even though they have not appeared on the news.   
   Good things do not make the news. These signs of love cannot and must not be   
   obscured by the arrogance of evil. Good always prevails, even though in some   
   moments it can appear weaker and hidden".   
    "Our city of Rome is not extraneous to this condition that affects the entire   
   world. I would like all its inhabitants to receive a sincere invitation to   
   overcome the difficulties of the present moment. Commitment to recovering the   
   fundamental values of service, honesty and solidarity enables us to overcome   
   the   
   grave uncertainties that have dominated this past year, and which are symptoms   
   of a meagre sense of dedication to the common good. May the positive   
   contribution of Christian witness never be lacking, so that Rome, in accordance   
   with her history, and with the maternal intercession of Mary Salus Populi   
   Romani, may be a special interpreter of faith, acceptance, fraternity and   
   peace".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To the Pueri Cantores: "Let us not forget the hidden saints"   
    Vatican City, 31 December 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received   
   in   
   the Paul VI Hall the participants in the 40 th International Congress organised   
   by the International Federation of the Pueri Cantores, held in Rome from 28   
   December to 1 January. During the encounter the young choristers took the   
   opportunity to present various questions to the Pope, who commented that he   
   loved to listen to singing but was unable to sing himself. He shared anecdotes   
   from his childhood with the young people, and emphasised that song educates and   
   benefits the soul. "Christian life is a journey", he said, "but not a sad one;   
   instead it is a joyful path. And this is why we sing. Sing and journey ... and   
   in   
   this way your soul will experience the joy of the Gospel".   
    The second question regarded whether or not the Pope had made any new year's   
   resolutions, to which Francis responded with a parable. "Once Jesus encountered   
   a boy who said a word similar to yours: he said, 'Jesus, good master'. And   
   Jesus   
   looked at him and said: 'No, only God is good'. And what about us? Are we bad?   
   No, half and half, we have a bit of everything. There is always that wound of   
   original sin that we bear and which leads us not always to be good. But always   
   remember, only God is good, and if you want to find goodness, go to the Lord,   
   He   
   is all goodness, all love, all mercy". The Holy Father also recalled the many   
   saints hidden in everyday life: good people who endeavour to be close to the   
   Lord; he also mentioned the many other people who live their life in a state of   
   anger. "To be angry harms not only the other person, but also yourself: it   
   poisons you. And there are people who surely you know who have a bitter soul,   
   who live their lives in anger and bitterness. It seems as if every day they   
   clean their teeth with vinegar! ... This is an illness". With regard to new   
   year's   
   resolutions, he said that he had made one: to pray more, as "bishops and   
   priests   
   ... must support God's people first with prayer - it is the first service". He   
   asked those present to pray more too, since "the Church goes ahead with the   
   prayer of the holy. Pray for the Church!".   
    A further question related to whether the world would always remain full of   
   sad   
   and tragic stories. "The world can improve", he declared. "But there is   
   something we do not like to talk about, but which we must talk about", he   
   added.   
   "In the world there is a struggle between good and evil, as philosophers say,   
   or   
   between the devil and God. ... The Bible tells us that this will continue until   
   the end ... and we all have a battlefield within us. There is the struggle   
   between   
   good and evil". He added that in the world there are many good things, but   
   "there is this attraction towards evil: it seems that we prefer to look at bad   
   things rather than good things, great things. The devil does his part - this is   
   true - but God too does His part, and there are many holy people. ... We must   
   not   
   let ourselves be deceived! In the world there are bad things ... and this is   
   the   
   devil's work against God; but there are also holy things, great things that are   
   the work of God. There are hidden saints. Let us not forget this word: the   
   hidden saints, those we do not see".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Entry into force of agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine   
    Vatican City, 2 January 2016 (VIS) - With reference to the Comprehensive   
   Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on 26 June   
   2015, the Holy See and State of Palestine have notified each other that the   
   procedural requirements for its entry into force have been fulfilled, under the   
   terms of Article 30 of the same Agreement.   
    The Agreement, consisting of a Preamble and 32 articles, regards essential   
   aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same   
   time reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the   
   conflict in the region.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 3 January 2016 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:   
    - Fr. William Ernesto Iraheta Rivera as bishop of Santiago de Maria (area   
   2,866, population 563,000, Catholics 449,700, priests 85, religious 88), El   
   Salvador. The bishop-elect was born in Jayaque, El Salvador in 1962 and was   
   ordained a priest in 1988. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the   
   archdiocese of San Salvador, including deputy priest, parish priest, director   
   of   
   the "Rosa Blanca" school centre, moderator of the archdiocesan curia, director   
   of Caritas and episcopal delegate for education. He is currently pastor of the   
   "San Marcos" parish. He succeeds Bishop Rodrigo Orlando Cabrera Cuellar, whose   
   resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age   
   limit was accepted by the Holy Father.   
    - Fr. Celestin-Marie Gaoua as bishop of Sokode (area 12,610, population   
   1,300,000, Catholics 153,000, priests 65, religious 87), Togo. The bishop-elect   
   was born in Wahala, Togo in 1957 and was ordained a priest in 1986. He has   
   served in a number of roles, including rector of the St. Paul minor seminary   
   and   
   the Fr. Jeremie Moran seminary in Atakpame, and missionary fidei donum in the   
   diocese of Sokode, where he was parish vicar, pastor of the Cathedral parish   
   and   
   parish administrator. He is currently rector of the national philosophical   
   major   
   seminary Benoit XVI in Tchitchao, Kara, Togo. He succeeds Bishop Ambroise   
   Kotamba Djoliba, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese   
   upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.   
    - erected the eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States of   
   American and Canada, for faithful of Syro-Malabar rite.   
    - appointed Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebios Naickamparambil, apostolic exarch for   
   Syro-Malankars resident in the United States of America and apostolic visitor   
   for the faithful in Canada and Europe, as the first eparchial bishop of the new   
   eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States of American and   
   Canada.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
   the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.   
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