pope on Iran-USA crisis: dialogue and respect for i

P
ope Francis focused on the virtue
of ‘hope’ in his annual greetings
to members of the diplomatic
corps accredited to the Holy See.
Hope, he said, “is an essential virtue for
Christians, to inspire our way of approach-
ing the times that lie ahead”.
Noting that “peace and integral human
development are… the principal aim of
the Holy See in its involvement in the field
of diplomacy”, the Pope’s speech focused
heavily on calls for dialogue and for con-
certed international action on various is-
sues facing the world today.
Apostolic Visits an opportunity for
dialogue
The Pontiff recalled his numerous Apos-
tolic Visits over the course of the past year,
beginning with the journey to Panama for
World Youth Day. “It is always a joy and a
great opportunity to meet young people”,
he said. “They are the future and hope of
our societies”. He acknowledged the “grave
crimes” committed against young people
by adults, including members of the clergy,
and noted that, with the Meeting for the
Protection of Minors in the Church, “the
Holy See has renewed its commitment to
bring to light abuses already committed
and to ensure the protection of minors”.
He highlighted the need for adults to
assume their “proper educational respon-
sibilities”, and noted the upcoming event
on “Reinventing the Global Compact on
Religion”. The Pope likewise said that the
“epochal change” we are now experiencing
calls for the creation of an “educational
village” for forming human relationships,
while noting the primary right of families
to educate, and of churches and communi-
ties to assist them in the task.
Combating climate change
In the context of being open to dialogue
with young people, and listening to their
concerns, the Pope raised the issue of cli-
mate change, with calls for ecological con-
version on the part of all. He lamented the
lack of commitment of the international
community in addressing the challenges
facing our common home. Ecology was an
important theme of the Synod on the Am-
azon, the Pope said, which was primarily
an ecclesial event.
Pope Francis also highlighted the “pro-
liferation of political crises” in countries
in the Americas, mentioning Venezuela
in particular. Although rooted in diverse
causes, these crises, he said, are linked by
inequality, injustice, corruption and pov-
erty. It is necessary, he said, to establish a
“culture of dialogue” to respond to those
issues.
Mutual understanding and peace-
ful coexistance
On his second journey in 2019, Pope
Francis travelled to the United Arab Emir-
ates, where he signed the Document on
Human Fraternity with the Grand Imam
of Al-Azhar, focused on fostering mutual
understanding and peaceful coexistence.
He emphasized the need to train future
generations in interreligious dialogue.
During his visit to Morocco, the Holy
Father signed a joint appeal, with King
Muhammed VI, on Jerusalem – a holy city
for the world’s three great monotheistic re-
ligions, which, the Pope said, should be a
symbolic place of peaceful coexistence.
International commitment to peace
The Pope called on the international
community to be engaged in the peace
process, not only in the Holy Land, but
throughout the Mediterranean region and
the Middle East. He pointed in particular
to the war in Syria, and ongoing conflicts
in Yemen and Libya. And in view of the
heightened tensions between Iran and
the United States, he renewed his appeal
“that all the interested parties avoid an es-
calation of the conflict and ‘keep alive the
flame of dialogue and self-restraint’, in full
respect of international law”.
He also encouraged the international
community to address the plight of mi-
grants seeking asylum, whose legitimate
needs must be identified, while noting
once again, how the Mediterranean Sea
has become “a vast cemetery”. The Pope
called on world leaders to find lasting
solutions to the crisis of forced migration,
at the same time praising those countries
that have generously sought out ways “to
share the burden of resettling refugees”.
The importance of dialogue and
the culture of encounter
Pope Francis also recalled his visits to
the Eastern European nations of Bulgaria,
North Macedonia, and Romania, where
he experienced “the importance of dia-
logue and the culture of encounter”. He
highlighted “the importance of dialogue
and respect for international law in re-
solving the ‘frozen conflicts’ that persist”
in Europe, taking note of situations in the
western Balkans and the southern Cauca-
sus, including Georgia; and encouraging
ongoing talks for the reunification of Cy-
prus. He also expressed his appreciation
for efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict
in eastern Ukraine. “Dialogue, not arms,
is the essential way to resolve disputes”, he
insisted.
The Pope said the Holy See “has followed
the European project with great interest”
from its earliest beginnings, and noted
the 50th anniversary of its presence as an
observer at the Council of Europe. The
Holy See, he said, “emphasizes and inclu-
sive process of growth inspired by a spirit
of participation and solidarity”. Calling
to mind the fire at Notre Dame, which
showed that “even what seems so solid can
be fragile and easily destroyed”, he cau-
tioned Europe against losing “that sense of
solidarity that for centuries has set it apart”.
Pope Francis said the 30th anniversary of
the fall of the Berlin Wall reminds us “how
easy it is to erect barriers”. But, he contin-
ued, “rather than walls of hatred, we prefer
bridges of reconciliation and solidarity”.
Signs of peace and reconciliation
in Africa
The Pontiff was also able to visit Africa in
the course of the past year, where he was
“able to see signs of peace and reconcilia-
tion”, including an agreement on the cessa-
tion of hostilities in Mozambique; security
replacing instability in Madagascar; and
peaceful coexistence between members of
different religions in Mauritius.
However, looking at other parts of the
continent, the Pope said, “it is painful to
witness, particularly in Burkina Faso,
Mali, Niger, and Nigeria, continuing epi-
sodes of violence against innocent people,
including many Christians persecuted and
killed for their fidelity to the Gospel”. Here,
too, he appealed to the international com-
munity to work together, calling on it to
work not only to eliminate “the scourge of
terrorism”, but also “to implement practical
strategies” for reducing poverty, improving
healthcare, favouring development and hu-
manitarian aid, as well as good governance
and civil rights.
Pope Francis spoke of the necessity, as
well, of encouraging “initiatives to foster
fraternity among all local cultural, ethnic,
and religious groups, particularly in the
Horn of Africa, in Cameroon, and in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo”, in the
face of continuing violence.
Hopes for a visit to South Sudan
He noted, too, the need to address the
issue of internal displacement, expressing
support for the work of the United Nations
High-Level Panel on Internal Displace-
ment. In this regard, Pope Francis said his
thoughts turn also to Sudan and the Central
African Republic, with the hope that both
countries can embrace peace. “My thoughts
also turn to South Sudan”, the Pope said,
“which I hope to be able to visit in the
course of this year”.
The Pope’s final journey in 2019 took him
to east Asia, where he visited Thailand with
its harmony of various ethnic groups with
different philosophies, cultures, religion.
No to nuclear weapons
In Japan, the Holy Father “experienced
the pain and horror that we human beings
are capable of inflicting on one another”
especially in hearing the voices of survivors
of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. “True peace”, Pope Fran-
cis said, “cannot be built on the threat of a
possible total annihilation of humanity by
nuclear weapons”. He repeated “a world
‘without nuclear weapons is possible and
necessary’”, and encouraged the work of the
Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
taking place later this year.
As he concluded his review of his jour-
neys throughout the year, the Pope said he
is thinking of a nation he had not had the
opportunity to visit: Australia, which has
been hard hit by serious wildfires through-
out the country. “I would like to assure the
Australian people, especially the victims
and all those in the areas devastated by the
fires, of my closeness and my prayers,” he
said.
-Founding principles of UN
remain valid
Finally, Pope Francis noted that 2020
marks the 75th anniversary of the founding
of the United Nations. The Pope insisted
that the foundational principles of the or-
ganization – the desire for peace, the pur-
suit of justice, respect for the dignity of the
human person, and humanitarian cooper-
ation and assistance – remain valid today,
and should form the basis for international
relations. Referencing the Encyclical Pacem
in terris, by St John XXIII, Pope Francis
said, “We wish to reaffirm the resolve of
the entire human family to work for the
common good as a criterion for moral ac-
tion, and a goal inspiring each country to
cooperate in guaranteeing the existence
and peaceful security of all others”. And he
affirmed, too, that human rights are “intrin-
sically grounded in human nature itself”. In
this context, he said, “there is a clear need to
move once again towards an overall reform
of the multilateral system, beginning with
the UN system”.
Concluding his remarks, the Pope re-
called that this year is the 500th anniversa-
ry of the death of the great artist Raphael.
Greeting the “people of Italy”, he expressed
his “prayerful hope” that they might “recov-
er the spirit of openness that exemplified
the Renaissance”.
A special word to women
And noting the 70th anniversary of the
proclamation of the dogma of the Assump-
tion of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heav-
en, the Pope said he wanted to address “a
special word to all women, 25 years after”
the Beijing conference on women in 1995.
“It is my hope, he said, that the invaluable
role of women in society may be increas-
ingly acknowledged worldwide, and that
all forms of injustice, discrimination, and
violence against women come to an end”.
Finally, the Holy Father said that the As-
sumption of Mary “also invites us to look
ahead to the completion of our earthly
journey, to that day when justice and peace
will be re-established”. And reaffirming his
own commitment, and that of the Holy
See, to that goal, he renewed his “cordial
best wishes for a new year rich in hope and
in every blessing”.