Pope Francis' 2015 World Day of Peace Message
1. At the beginning of this
New Year, which we welcome as God’s gracious gift to all humanity,
I offer heartfelt wishes of peace to every man and woman, to all the
world’s peoples and nations, to heads of state and government, and
to religious leaders. In doing so, I pray for an end to wars,
conflicts and the great suffering caused by human agency, by
epidemics past and present, and by the devastation wrought by natural
disasters. I pray especially that, on the basis of our common calling
to cooperate with God and all people of good will for the advancement
of harmony and peace in the world, we may resist the temptation to
act in a manner unworthy of our humanity.
In my Message for Peace last
year, I spoke of "the desire for a full life… which includes a
longing for fraternity which draws us to fellowship with others and
enables us to see them not as enemies or rivals, but as brothers and
sisters to be accepted and embraced".1 Since we are by nature
relational beings, meant to find fulfilment through interpersonal
relationships inspired by justice and love, it is fundamental for our
human development that our dignity, freedom and autonomy be
acknowledged and respected. Tragically, the growing scourge of man’s
exploitation by man gravely damages the life of communion and our
calling to forge interpersonal relations marked by respect, justice
and love. This abominable phenomenon, which leads to contempt for the
fundamental rights of others and to the suppression of their freedom
and dignity, takes many forms. I would like briefly to consider
these, so that, in the light of God’s word, we can consider all men
and women "no longer slaves, but brothers and sisters".