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Slaves No More… December 1st, 2014
On January 1st 2015, Pope Francis will commemorate the World Day of Peace with the theme “Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters.” In alignment with this message for the new year, the Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking invites you to join in efforts to eliminate the scourge of human trafficking by making a personal commitment in 2015 to resolve to fight human trafficking. Click here to find out more and commit to the resolutions today.
Pope Francis Issues World Day of Peace Message January 6th, 2014
“Fraternity, the Foundation and Pathway to Peace” is the 2014 message of Pope Francis, which is also his first for the annual World Day of Peace, Jan. 1.
In the Peace message, Pope Francis offers his best wishes for a life filled with joy and hope. “In the heart of every man and woman is the desire for a full life,” he says, “including that irrepressible longing for fraternity which draws us to fellowship with others and enables us to see them not as enemies or rivals, but as brothers and sisters to be accepted and embraced.”
Read the Pope’s Message (Open PDF)
World Day of Peace Message 2013: Blessed Are the Peacemakers December 18th, 2012
“Blessed are the peacemakers” is Pope Benedict’s theme for the 46th World Day of Peace, 1 January 2013, according to a Vatican announcement.
The Vatican said in a statement that the message will embrace “the fullness and diversity of the concept of peace” including religious freedom and an ethical reflection on how the world is to handle crises affecting the economy, education, and democracy. The aim of the message, it said, is to “encourage everyone to take responsibility with regard to peacebuilding.”
“The Message will offer, as well, an ethical reflection on some measures the world is going to take to contain the financial and economic crisis, the educational crisis, the crisis of the institutions and politics, which is also – in many cases – a worrying crisis of democracy.”
“The Message will also look at the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and of the encyclical letter by Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, according to which the primacy is always for the human dignity and its freedom, for the building of an earthly city to the service of every person, without any discrimination, and directed to the common good which is based on justice and true peace.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers” will be the eighth Message of Pope Benedict XVI for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace. Following are the titles of the previous ones: “In Truth, Peace” (2006), “The Human Person, Heart of Peace” (2007), “The Human Family, a Community of Peace” (2008), “Fighting Poverty to Build peace” (2009), “If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation” (2010), “Religious Freedom, the path to peace” (2011), “Educating young people in justice and peace” (2012).”
2011 World Day of Peace December 20th, 2010
“Religious freedom, the path to peace” is the theme chosen by Pope Benedict XVI for the celebration of the 2011 World Day of Peace. The World Day of Peace has been celebrated since 1968 on the first day of every year.
“Religious freedom expresses what is unique about the human person, for it allows us to direct our personal and social life to God, in whose light the identity, meaning and purpose of the person are fully understood. To deny or arbitrarily restrict this freedom is to foster a reductive vision of the human person; to eclipse the public role of religion is to create a society which is unjust, inasmuch as it fails to take account of the true nature of the human person; it is to stifle the growth of the authentic and lasting peace of the whole human family.”
Read the Pope’s Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace.
Papal World Day of Peace Message – If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation January 4th, 2010
Pope Benedict’s World Day of Peace Message focuses this year on the theme: If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation.
According to the Pope, “Respect for creation is of immense consequence, not least because “creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works”,[1] and its preservation has now become essential for the pacific coexistence of mankind.
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