every person and every creature can dwell in peace, in the harmony of God's
original creation.
 "At the beginning of a new year, the Church invites us to contemplate Mary's
divine maternity as an icon of peace. The ancient promise finds fulfilment in
her person. She believed in the words of the angel, conceived her Son and thus
became the Mother of the Lord. Through her, through her 'yes', the fullness of
time came about. The Gospel we have just heard tells us that the Virgin Mary
'treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart'. She appears to us
as
a vessel filled to the brim with the memory of Jesus, as the Seat of Wisdom to
whom we can have recourse to understand His teaching aright. Today Mary makes
it
possible for us to grasp the meaning of events which affect us personally,
events which also affect our families, our countries and the entire world.
Where
philosophical reason and political negotiation cannot arrive, there the power
of
faith, which brings the grace of Christ's Gospel, can arrive, opening ever new
pathways to reason and to negotiation.
 "Blessed are you, Mary, for you gave the Son of God to our world. But even
more
blessed are you for having believed in Him. Full of faith, you conceived Jesus
first in your heart and then in your womb, and thus became the Mother of all
believers. Send us, O Mother, your blessing on this day consecrated to your
honour. Show us the face of Jesus your Son, Who bestows upon the entire world
mercy and peace. Amen".

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 Angelus: the enemy of peace is not only war, but also indifference
 Vatican City, 1 January 2016 (VIS) - Following the Eucharistic celebration
Pope
Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to
pray the Angelus with the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Before the Marian prayer, the Pope wished a happy new year to those present and
asked the Lord to grant peace on this, the 49th World Day of Peace.
 "We know that with the new year not everything changes, and that many of
yesterday's problems will remain even tomorrow. So I convey to you my wishes
supported by true hope, which I draw from today's liturgy. ... I also hope that
the Lord may look upon you and that you may rejoice, knowing that every day His
merciful face, more radiant than the sun, shines on you and never sets!
Discovering God's face renews life, because He is a Father of his beloved
humanity, Who never tires of starting over with us to renew us. But He does not
promise magical changes, He does not use a magic wand. He loves to change
reality from within, with patience and love; He asks to enter into our lives
delicately, like rain on the earth, to bring fruit. And He always awaits us and
looks upon us with tenderness. Every morning, as we reawaken, we can say,
'Today
the Lord makes his face to shine upon me'. A beautiful prayer that is also
reality".
 Francis remarked that today we celebrate the World Day of Peace, whose theme
this year is "Overcome indifference and win peace", and said that peace, that
God the Father wishes to sow throughout the world, "must be cultivated by us.
Not only that, it must also be 'won'. This implies a true struggle, a spiritual
battle that takes place within our heart. The enemy of peace is not only war,
but also indifference, which makes us think only of ourselves, so that we
create
barriers, suspicions, fears and narrow-mindedness. These things are the enemies
of peace. We have, thanks be to God, access to much information; however at
times we are so immersed in news that we are distracted from reality, from the
brother and sister who need us. Let us start to open our heart, turning our
attention to our neighbour, to those who are closest to us. This is the path to
winning peace".
 The Pope asked for the help of the Queen of Peace, the Mother of God, whose
solemnity we celebrate today. He explained that she "treasured these things,
pondering them in her heart. ... Let us entrust this new year to the Mother, so
that peace and mercy might grow".

___________________________________________________________

 Te Deum: good always prevails
 Vatican City, 31 December 2015 (VIS) - On Thursday at 5 p.m., in the Vatican
Basilica, the Holy Father presided at the first Vespers of the Solemnity of
Holy
Mary Mother of God. This was followed by the exposition of the Holy Sacrament,
the traditional "Te Deum" hymn of thanksgiving for the year end, and the
Eucharistic blessing. Francis concluded by blessing the nativity display in St.
Peter's Square.
 "Retracing the days of the past year can either take the form of a remembrance
of facts and events leading to moments of joy and suffering, or of seeking to
understand whether we have perceived the presence of God Who renews and
sustains
all with His help. We are called upon to confirm whether the events of the
world
were realised in accordance with God's will, or if we listened principally to
the plans of men, often loaded with private interests, of insatiable thirst for
power and gratuitous violence".
 "However, today our eyes must focus in particular on the signs that God has
granted us, to touch with our own hand the strength of his merciful love. We
cannot forget that many days have been marked by violence, death, and the
unspeakable suffering of many innocent people, of refugees compelled to leave
their homeland, of men, women and children without a fixed abode, food or
sustenance. And then, great gestures of goodness, love and solidarity have
filled the days of this year, even though they have not appeared on the news.
Good things do not make the news. These signs of love cannot and must not be
obscured by the arrogance of evil. Good always prevails, even though in some
moments it can appear weaker and hidden".
 "Our city of Rome is not extraneous to this condition that affects the entire
world. I would like all its inhabitants to receive a sincere invitation to
overcome the difficulties of the present moment. Commitment to recovering the
fundamental values of service, honesty and solidarity enables us to overcome
the
grave uncertainties that have dominated this past year, and which are symptoms
of a meagre sense of dedication to the common good. May the positive
contribution of Christian witness never be lacking, so that Rome, in accordance
with her history, and with the maternal intercession of Mary Salus Populi
Romani, may be a special interpreter of faith, acceptance, fraternity and
peace".

___________________________________________________________

 To the Pueri Cantores: "Let us not forget the hidden saints"
 Vatican City, 31 December 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received
in
the Paul VI Hall the participants in the 40 th International Congress organised
by the International Federation of the Pueri Cantores, held in Rome from 28
December to 1 January. During the encounter the young choristers took the
opportunity to present various questions to the Pope, who commented that he
loved to listen to singing but was unable to sing himself. He shared anecdotes
from his childhood with the young people, and emphasised that song educates and
benefits the soul. "Christian life is a journey", he said, "but not a sad one;
instead it is a joyful path. And this is why we sing. Sing and journey ... and
in
this way your soul will experience the joy of the Gospel".
 The second question regarded whether or not the Pope had made any new year's
resolutions, to which Francis responded with a parable. "Once Jesus encountered
a boy who said a word similar to yours: he said, 'Jesus, good master'. And
Jesus
looked at him and said: 'No, only God is good'. And what about us? Are we bad?
No, half and half, we have a bit of everything. There is always that wound of
original sin that we bear and which leads us not always to be good. But always
remember, only God is good, and if you want to find goodness, go to the Lord,
He
is all goodness, all love, all mercy". The Holy Father also recalled the many
saints hidden in everyday life: good people who endeavour to be close to the
Lord; he also mentioned the many other people who live their life in a state of
anger. "To be angry harms not only the other person, but also yourself: it
poisons you. And there are people who surely you know who have a bitter soul,
who live their lives in anger and bitterness. It seems as if every day they
clean their teeth with vinegar! ... This is an illness". With regard to new
year's
resolutions, he said that he had made one: to pray more, as "bishops and
priests
... must support God's people first with prayer - it is the first service". He
asked those present to pray more too, since "the Church goes ahead with the
prayer of the holy. Pray for the Church!".
 A further question related to whether the world would always remain full of
sad
and tragic stories. "The world can improve", he declared. "But there is
something we do not like to talk about, but which we must talk about", he
added.
"In the world there is a struggle between good and evil, as philosophers say,
or
between the devil and God. ... The Bible tells us that this will continue until
the end ... and we all have a battlefield within us. There is the struggle
between
good and evil". He added that in the world there are many good things, but
"there is this attraction towards evil: it seems that we prefer to look at bad
things rather than good things, great things. The devil does his part - this is
true - but God too does His part, and there are many holy people. ... We must
not
let ourselves be deceived! In the world there are bad things ... and this is
the
devil's work against God; but there are also holy things, great things that are
the work of God. There are hidden saints. Let us not forget this word: the
hidden saints, those we do not see".

___________________________________________________________

 Entry into force of agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine
 Vatican City, 2 January 2016 (VIS) - With reference to the Comprehensive
Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on 26 June
2015, the Holy See and State of Palestine have notified each other that the
procedural requirements for its entry into force have been fulfilled, under the
terms of Article 30 of the same Agreement.
 The Agreement, consisting of a Preamble and 32 articles, regards essential
aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same
time reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the
conflict in the region.

___________________________________________________________

 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 3 January 2016 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:
 - Fr. William Ernesto Iraheta Rivera as bishop of Santiago de Maria (area
2,866, population 563,000, Catholics 449,700, priests 85, religious 88), El
Salvador. The bishop-elect was born in Jayaque, El Salvador in 1962 and was
ordained a priest in 1988. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the
archdiocese of San Salvador, including deputy priest, parish priest, director
of
the "Rosa Blanca" school centre, moderator of the archdiocesan curia, director
of Caritas and episcopal delegate for education. He is currently pastor of the
"San Marcos" parish. He succeeds Bishop Rodrigo Orlando Cabrera Cuellar, whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age
limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
 - Fr. Celestin-Marie Gaoua as bishop of Sokode (area 12,610, population
1,300,000, Catholics 153,000, priests 65, religious 87), Togo. The bishop-elect
was born in Wahala, Togo in 1957 and was ordained a priest in 1986. He has
served in a number of roles, including rector of the St. Paul minor seminary
and
the Fr. Jeremie Moran seminary in Atakpame, and missionary fidei donum in the
diocese of Sokode, where he was parish vicar, pastor of the Cathedral parish
and
parish administrator. He is currently rector of the national philosophical
major
seminary Benoit XVI in Tchitchao, Kara, Togo. He succeeds Bishop Ambroise
Kotamba Djoliba, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese
upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
 - erected the eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States of
American and Canada, for faithful of Syro-Malabar rite.
 - appointed Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebios Naickamparambil, apostolic exarch for
Syro-Malankars resident in the United States of America and apostolic visitor
for the faithful in Canada and Europe, as the first eparchial bishop of the new
eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States of American and
Canada.

___________________________________________________________

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