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Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                               VIS-Press releases

MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 2007

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was Benedict XVI's 2nd
Message for the World Day of Peace. The Day falls on January 1, 2007, and has
as its theme: "The Human Person, the Heart of Peace." The text has been
published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese.

Extracts from the Message are given below:

"At the beginning of the new year, I wish to extend prayerful good wishes for
peace to governments, leaders of nations and all men and women of good will"

"As one created in the image of God, each individual human being has the
dignity of a person; he or she is not just something, but someone, capable of
self-knowledge, self-possession, free self-giving and entering into communion
with others."

"Likewise, peace is both gift and task. If it is true that peace between
individuals and peoples - the ability to live together and to build
relationships of justice and solidarity - calls for unfailing commitment on our
part, it is also true, and indeed more so, that peace is a gift from God."

"The body of rules for individual action and the reciprocal relationships of
persons in accordance with justice and solidarity, is inscribed on human
consciences, in which the wise plan of God is reflected. ... Peace is thus also
a task demanding of everyone a personal response consistent with God's plan.
The criterion inspiring this response can only be respect for the 'grammar'
written on human hearts by the divine Creator.

"From this standpoint, the norms of the natural law ... should be welcomed as a
call to carry out faithfully the universal divine plan inscribed in the nature
of human beings. Guided by these norms, all peoples - within their respective
cultures - can draw near to the greatest mystery, which is the mystery of God.
Today too, recognition and respect for natural law represents the foundation
for a dialogue between the followers of the different religions and between
believers and non-believers. As a great point of convergence, this is also a
fundamental presupposition for authentic peace."

"The duty to respect the dignity of each human being, in whose nature the image
of the Creator is reflected, means in consequence that the person can not be
disposed of at will. Those with greater political, technical, or economic power
may not use that power to violate the rights of others who are less fortunate.
Peace is based on respect for the rights of all. Conscious of this, the Church
champions the fundamental rights of each person.

"In particular she promotes and defends respect for the life and the religious
freedom of everyone. Respect for the right to life at every stage firmly
establishes a principle of decisive importance: life is a gift which is not
completely at the disposal of the subject. ... The right to life and to the
free expression of personal faith in God is not subject to the power of man.

"As far as the right to life is concerned, we must denounce its widespread
violation in our society: alongside the victims of armed conflicts, terrorism
and the different forms of violence, there are the silent deaths caused by
hunger, abortion, experimentation on human embryos and euthanasia. How can we
fail to see in all this an attack on peace? Abortion and embryonic
experimentation constitute a direct denial of that attitude of acceptance of
others which is indispensable for establishing lasting relationships of peace.

"As far as the free expression of personal faith is concerned, another
disturbing symptom of lack of peace in the world is represented by the
difficulties that both Christians and the followers of other religions
frequently encounter in publicly and freely professing their religious
convictions. Speaking of Christians in particular, I must point out with pain
that not only are they at times prevented from doing so; in some States they
are actually persecuted, and even recently tragic cases of ferocious violence
have been recorded.

"There are regimes that impose a single religion upon everyone, while secular
regimes often lead not so much to violent persecution as to systematic cultural
denigration of religious beliefs. In both instances, a fundamental human right
is not being respected, with serious repercussions for peaceful coexistence.
This can only promote a mentality and culture that is not conducive to peace."

"At the origin of many tensions that threaten peace are surely the many unjust
inequalities still tragically present in our world. Particularly insidious
among these are, on the one hand, inequality in access to essential goods like
food, water, shelter, health; on the other hand, there are persistent
inequalities between men and women in the exercise of basic human rights.

"A fundamental element of building peace is the recognition of the essential
equality of human persons springing from their common transcendental dignity.
... The extremely grave deprivation afflicting many peoples, especially in
Africa, lies at the root of violent reactions and thus inflicts a terrible
wound on peace.

"Similarly, inadequate consideration for the condition of women helps to create
instability in the fabric of society. I think of the exploitation of women who
are treated as objects, and of the many ways that a lack of respect is shown
for their dignity; I also think - in a different context - of the mindset
persisting in some cultures, where women are still firmly subordinated to the
arbitrary decisions of men, with grave consequences for their personal dignity
and for the exercise of their fundamental freedoms. There can be no illusion of
a secure peace until these forms of discrimination are also overcome, since
they injure the personal dignity impressed by the Creator upon every human
being."

"Humanity, if it truly desires peace, must be increasingly conscious of the
links between natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology.
Experience shows that disregard for the environment always harms human
coexistence, and vice versa."

"In recent years, new nations have entered enthusiastically into industrial
production, thereby increasing their energy needs. ... Meanwhile, some parts of
the planet remain backward and development is effectively blocked, partly
because of the rise in energy prices."

"The destruction of the environment, its improper or selfish use, and the
violent hoarding of the earth's resources cause grievances, conflicts and wars,
precisely because they are the consequences of an inhumane concept of
development."

"Thus there is an urgent need, even within the framework of current
international difficulties and tensions, for a commitment to a human ecology
that can favour the growth of the 'tree of peace.' ... It is understandable
that visions of man will vary from culture to culture. Yet what cannot be
admitted is the cultivation of anthropological conceptions that contain the
seeds of hostility and violence. Equally unacceptable are conceptions of God
that would encourage intolerance and recourse to violence against others. This
is a point which must be clearly reaffirmed: war in God's name is never
acceptable!"

"Today, however, peace is not only threatened by the conflict between reductive
visions of man, in other words, between ideologies. It is also threatened by
indifference as to what constitutes man's true nature. ... A 'weak' vision of
the person, which would leave room for every conception, even the most bizarre,
only apparently favors peace. In reality, it hinders authentic dialogue and
opens the way to authoritarian impositions, ultimately leaving the person
defenseless and, as a result, easy prey to oppression and violence."

"The protection of human rights is constantly referred to by international
bodies and, in particular, the United Nations Organization, which set itself
the fundamental task of promoting the human rights indicated in the 1948
Universal Declaration. That Declaration is regarded as a sort of moral
commitment assumed by all mankind. There is a profound truth to this,
especially if the rights described in the Declaration are held to be based not
simply on the decisions of the assembly that approved them, but on man's very
nature and his inalienable dignity as a person created by God. Consequently it
is important for international agencies not to lose sight of the natural
foundation of human rights."

"Were that to happen, the international bodies would end up lacking the
necessary authority to carry out their role as defenders of the fundamental
rights of the person and of peoples, the chief justification for their very
existence and activity."

"The recognition that there exist inalienable human rights connected to our
common human nature has led to the establishment of a body of international
humanitarian law which States are committed to respect, even in the case of
war. Unfortunately, to say nothing of past cases, this has not been
consistently implemented in certain recent situations of war. Such, for
example, was the case in the conflict that occurred a few months ago in
southern Lebanon, where the duty 'to protect and help innocent victims' and to
avoid involving the civilian population was largely ignored."

"The new shape of conflicts, especially since the terrorist threat unleashed
completely new forms of violence, demand that the international community
reaffirm international humanitarian law, and apply it to all present-day
situations of armed conflict, including those not currently provided for by
international law.

"Moreover, the scourge of terrorism demands a profound reflection on the
ethical limits restricting the use of modern methods of guaranteeing internal
security. Increasingly, wars are not declared, especially when they are
initiated by terrorist groups determined to attain their ends by any means
available. In the face of the disturbing events of recent years, States cannot
fail to recognize the need to establish clearer rules to counter effectively
the dramatic decline that we are witnessing."

"Another disturbing issue is the desire recently shown by some States to
acquire nuclear weapons. This has heightened even more the widespread climate
of uncertainty and fear of a possible atomic catastrophe."

"Unfortunately, threatening clouds continue to gather on humanity's horizon.
The way to ensure a future of peace for everyone is found not only in
international accords for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, but also in
the determined commitment to seek their reduction and definitive dismantling.
... The fate of the whole human family is at stake!"

"Finally, I wish to make an urgent appeal to the People of God: let every
Christian be committed to tireless peace-making and strenuous defense of the
dignity of the human person and his inalienable rights. ... In Christ we can
find the ultimate reason for becoming staunch champions of human dignity and
courageous builders of peace."
MESS/PEACE DAY/... VIS 061212 (1770)

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