“Peace as a journey of hope:
Dialogue, reconciliation and ecological conversion”.
In his message for the world day of Peace, 2020, Pope Francis invites us to “break the spiral of vengeance” and suggests ways of achieving peace. This becomes possible when we hope and open our hearts to living fraternal and respectful relationships.
Against an illusory peace, based on mistrust and the fear of others, we “need to pursue a genuine fraternity…, exercised in dialogue and mutual trust”.
The journey of peace needs “convinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects exclusion or manipulation”. It thus “requires enduring commitment”.
“There can be no true peace unless we show ourselves capable of “developing a more just economic system”, since peace permeates every dimension of life in common including the areas of politics and the economy.
Peace is a “journey of ecological conversion”. Francis suggests “a new way to dwell in our common home, and how we relate to our sisters and brothers”. This ecological conversion leads us to “a new way of looking at life” that must be “understood in an integral way”.
On the journey of Peace, the Pope leads Christians to the sacrament of Reconciliation that requires us to set aside all acts of violence and bids us keep our gaze fixed on Jesus. “The Holy Spirit prompts in us ways of thinking and speaking that can make us artisans of justice and peace.” To conclude, Francis wishes that, “Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace and Mother of all the peoples of the earth, accompany and sustain us at every step of our journey of reconciliation.”
To read the complete message of Pope Francis:
http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/peace/documents/papa-francesco_20191208_messaggio-53giornatamondiale-pace2020.html
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-01/hope-at-heart-of-pope-francis-peace-day-messages.html