TradCatKnight: Pacifist & Protestant Vatican: Francis Calls For "Peace"

 

 

 

 

In his World Day of Peace Message for 2017, Pope Francis calls on Christians to follow Jesus’ example in turning away from violence. The pontiff says that while the world is experiencing many conflicts, violence only begets more violence

 

Francis has called on Christians around the globe to embrace Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence, saying in his yearly World Day of Peace message that while many countries are experiencing conflict that “violence is not the cure for our broken world.”

Restating his frequent expression that we are seeing today “a horrifying world war fought piecemeal,” the pontiff says in the message, released Monday, that violence only begets violence.

“Countering violence with violence leads at best to forced migrations and enormous suffering,” writes Francis. “Vast amounts of resources are diverted to military ends and away from the everyday needs of young people, families experiencing hardship, the elderly, the infirm and the great majority of people in our world.”

The pontiff also reminds Christians that while Jesus also lived in violent times, he “unfailingly preached God’s unconditional love, which welcomes and forgives.” Noting that at his own arrest before his crucifixion, Jesus told Peter to put away his sword, Francis states: “Jesus marked out the path of nonviolence.”

“He walked that path to the very end, to the cross, whereby he became our peace and put an end to hostility,” writes the pope. “To be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence.”

 

Francis’ message for the World Day of Peace, which is dated Dec. 8, will be officially sent out Jan. 1, the Catholic feast day for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Pope Paul VI first dedicated that feast to world peace in 1967, and each feast since 1968 has seen release of a papal message.

For the 50th celebration of the World Day of Peace this year, Francis dedicated his message to the use of nonviolent strategies to counter violence, giving it the title: “Nonviolence: a Style of Politics for Peace.”

Cardinal Peter Turkson, the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said at a press conference releasing the message that Francis decided to focus on nonviolence following a first-of-its-kind Vatican conference in April that reexamined the church’s teaching of the just war theory.  Read more »