ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS ACCREDITED TO THE HOLY SEE FOR THE TRADITIONAL EXCHANGE OF NEW YEAR GREETINGS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS ACCREDITED TO THE HOLY SEE FOR THE TRADITIONAL EXCHANGE OF NEW YEAR GREETINGS

by | Feb 7, 2020 | NEW MILLENNIUM, 21st CENTURY, EUROPE, GEOPOLITIC, ANALYSIS, POLITICS, GLOBALIZATION, ROMEOCATHOLICAL CHURCH, Christian World

Regia Hall  / Thursday, 9 January 2020 

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

A new year is opening before us; like the cry of a newborn baby, it fills us with joy and hope. I would like that word, “hope”, which is an essential virtue for Christians, to inspire our way of approaching the times that lie ahead.

Certainly, hope has to be realistic. It demands acknowledging the many troubling issues confronting our world and the challenges lurking on the horizon. It requires that problems be called by their name and the courage be found to resolve them. It urges us to keep in mind that our human family is scarred and wounded by a succession of increasingly destructive wars that especially affect the poor and those most vulnerable.[1] Sadly, the new year does not seem to be marked by encouraging signs, as much as by heightened tensions and acts of violence.

Precisely in light of these situations, we cannot give up hope. And hope requires courage. It means acknowledging that evil, suffering and death will not have the last word, and that even the most complex questions can and must be faced and resolved. For hope is “the virtue that inspires us and keeps us moving forward, even when obstacles seem insurmountable”.[2]

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Declaration of Principles for the International Religious Freedom Alliance

Declaration of Principles for the International Religious Freedom Alliance

by | Feb 7, 2020 | THINK TANK, NEW MILLENNIUM, 21st CENTURY, NEW WORLD, GEOPOLITICS OF THE RELIGIONS, Christianity, Cultures

The Alliance is a network of likeminded countries fully committed to advancing freedom of religion or belief around the world. 

The Alliance is predicated on the idea more must be done to protect members of religious minority groups and combat discrimination and persecution based on religion or belief.  The Alliance intends to advocate for freedom of religion or belief for all, which includes the right of individuals to hold any belief or none, to change religion or belief and to manifest religion or belief, either alone or in community with others, in worship, observance, practice and teaching.  The Alliance is intended to bring together senior government representatives to discuss actions their nations can take together to promote respect for freedom of religion or belief and protect members of religious minority groups worldwide. Alliance members should be committed to the following principles and commitments and be willing to publicly and privately object to abuses, wherever they might occur. (more…)