MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE
BENEDICT XVI FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1 JANUARY 2007
THE HUMAN PERSON, THE HEART OF
PEACE
1. 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. In a special way, I invoke peace
upon all those experiencing pain and suffering, those living under the threat of
violence and armed aggression, and those who await their human and social
emancipation, having had their dignity trampled upon. I invoke peace upon
children, who by their innocence enrich humanity with goodness and hope, and by
their sufferings compel us all to work for justice and peace. Out of concern for
children, especially those whose future is compromised by exploitation and the
malice of unscrupulous adults, I wish on this World Day of Peace to encourage
everyone to reflect on the theme: The Human Person, the Heart of Peace. I am
convinced that respect for the person promotes peace and that, in building
peace, the foundations are laid for an authentic integral humanism. In this way
a serene future is prepared for coming generations.
The human person and peace: gift
and task
2. Sacred Scripture affirms that
“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and
female he created them” (Gen 1:27). 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. At the same time, each
person is called, by grace, to a covenant with the Creator, called to offer him
a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his place(1).
From this supernatural perspective, one can understand the task entrusted to
human beings to mature in the ability to love and to contribute to the progress
of the world, renewing it in justice and in peace. In a striking synthesis,
Saint Augustine teaches that “God created us without our aid; but he did not
choose to save us without our aid(2).” Consequently all human beings have the
duty to cultivate an awareness of this twofold aspect of gift and task.
3. 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. Peace is an aspect of God's activity, made manifest
both in the creation of an orderly and harmonious universe and also in the
redemption of humanity that needs to be rescued from the disorder of sin.
Creation and Redemption thus provide a key that helps us begin to understand the
meaning of our life on earth. My venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II,
addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations on 5 October 1995, stated
that “we do not live in an irrational or meaningless world... there is a moral
logic which is built into human life and which makes possible dialogue between
individuals and peoples(3) .” The transcendent “grammar”, that is to say 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. As I recently had occasion to reaffirm:
“we believe that at the beginning of everything is the Eternal Word, Reason and
not Unreason(4).” 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 not be viewed as externally imposed decrees, as
restraints upon human freedom. Rather, they 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 right to life and to
religious freedom
4. 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. Similarly, the affirmation of the right to religious freedom places the
human being in a relationship with a transcendent principle which withdraws him
from human caprice. The right to life and to the free expression of personal
faith in God is not subject to the power of man. Peace requires the
establishment of a clear boundary between what is at man's disposal and what is
not: in this way unacceptable intrusions into the patrimony of specifically
human values will be avoided.
5. 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.
The natural equality of all
persons
6. 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. Equality on this level is a good
belonging to all, inscribed in that natural “grammar” which is deducible from
the divine plan of creation; it is a good that cannot be ignored or scorned
without causing serious repercussions which put peace at risk. 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.
7. 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(5).
The “ecology of peace”
8. In his Encyclical Letter
Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II wrote: “Not only has God given the earth to
man, who must use it with respect for the original good purpose for which it was
given to him, but man too is God's gift to man. He must therefore respect the
natural and moral structure with which he has been endowed(6).” By responding to
this charge, entrusted to them by the Creator, men and women can join in
bringing about a world of peace. Alongside the ecology of nature, there exists
what can be called a “human” ecology, which in turn demands a “social” ecology.
All this means that 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. It becomes more and more evident that there is an
inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men. Both of these
presuppose peace with God. The poem-prayer of Saint Francis, known as “the
Canticle of Brother Sun”, is a wonderful and ever timely example of this
multifaceted ecology of peace.
9. The close connection between
these two ecologies can be understood from the increasingly serious problem of
energy supplies. In recent years, new nations have entered enthusiastically into
industrial production, thereby increasing their energy needs. This has led to an
unprecedented race for available resources. Meanwhile, some parts of the planet
remain backward and development is effectively blocked, partly because of the
rise in energy prices. What will happen to those peoples? What kind of
development or non-development will be imposed on them by the scarcity of energy
supplies? What injustices and conflicts will be provoked by the race for energy
sources? And what will be the reaction of those who are excluded from this race?
These are questions that show how respect for nature is closely linked to the
need to establish, between individuals and between nations, relationships that
are attentive to the dignity of the person and capable of satisfying his or her
authentic needs. 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. Indeed, if development were limited to the
technical-economic aspect, obscuring the moral-religious dimension, it would not
be an integral human development, but a one-sided distortion which would end up
by unleashing man's destructive capacities.
Reductive visions of man
10. 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”. For this to happen, we must be guided by a vision of the person
untainted by ideological and cultural prejudices or by political and economic
interests which can instil hatred and violence. 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! When a
certain notion of God is at the origin of criminal acts, it is a sign that that
notion has already become an ideology.
11. 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. Many of our contemporaries actually deny the
existence of a specific human nature and thus open the door to the most
extravagant interpretations of what essentially constitutes a human being. Here
too clarity is necessary: a “weak” vision of the person, which would leave room
for every conception, even the most bizarre, only apparently favours peace. In
reality, it hinders authentic dialogue and opens the way to authoritarian
impositions, ultimately leaving the person defenceless and, as a result, easy
prey to oppression and violence.
Human rights and international
organizations
12. A true and stable peace
presupposes respect for human rights. Yet if these rights are grounded on a weak
conception of the person, how can they fail to be themselves weakened? Here we
can see how profoundly insufficient is a relativistic conception of the person
when it comes to justifying and defending his rights. The difficulty in this
case is clear: rights are proposed as absolute, yet the foundation on which they
are supposed to rest is merely relative. Can we wonder that, faced with the
“inconvenient” demands posed by one right or another, someone will come along to
question it or determine that it should be set aside? Only if they are grounded
in the objective requirements of the nature bestowed on man by the Creator, can
the rights attributed to him be affirmed without fear of contradiction. It goes
without saying, moreover, that human rights imply corresponding duties. In this
regard, Mahatma Gandhi said wisely: “The Ganges of rights flows from the
Himalaya of duties.” Clarity over these basic presuppositions is needed if human
rights, nowadays constantly under attack, are to be adequately defended. Without
such clarity, the expression “human rights” will end up being predicated of
quite different subjects: in some cases, the human person marked by permanent
dignity and rights that are valid always, everywhere and for everyone, in other
cases a person with changing dignity and constantly negotiable rights, with
regard to content, time and place.
13. 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. This would enable them to avoid
the risk, unfortunately ever-present, of sliding towards a merely positivistic
interpretation of those 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.
International humanitarian law
and the internal law of States
14. 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 heart-rending situation in Lebanon and 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. War always represents a failure for the international
community and a grave loss for humanity. When, despite every effort, war does
break out, at least the essential principles of humanity and the basic values of
all civil coexistence must be safeguarded; norms of conduct must be established
that limit the damage as far as possible and help to alleviate the suffering of
civilians and of all the victims of conflicts(7).
15. 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. We are brought back in time to the profound
anxieties of the “cold war” period. When it came to an end, there was hope that
the atomic peril had been definitively overcome and that mankind could finally
breathe a lasting sigh of relief. How timely, in this regard, is the warning of
the Second Vatican Council that “every act of war directed to the indiscriminate
destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime
against God and humanity, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation(8).”
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. May every attempt
be made to arrive through negotiation at the attainment of these objectives! The
fate of the whole human family is at stake!
The Church as safeguard of the
transcendence of the human person
16. Finally, I wish to make an
urgent appeal to the People of God: let every Christian be committed to tireless
peace-making and strenuous defence of the dignity of the human person and his
inalienable rights.
With gratitude to the Lord for
having called him to belong to his Church, which is “the sign and safeguard of
the transcendental dimension of the human person”(9) in the world, the Christian
will tirelessly implore from God the fundamental good of peace, which is of such
primary importance in the life of each person. Moreover, he will be proud to
serve the cause of peace with generous devotion, offering help to his brothers
and sisters, especially those who, in addition to suffering poverty and need,
are also deprived of this precious good. Jesus has revealed to us that “God is
love” (1 Jn 4:8) and that the highest vocation of every person is love. In
Christ we can find the ultimate reason for becoming staunch champions of human
dignity and courageous builders of peace.
17. Let every believer, then,
unfailingly contribute to the advancement of a true integral humanism in
accordance with the teachings of the Encyclical Letters Populorum Progressio and
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, whose respective fortieth and twentieth anniversaries
we prepare to celebrate this year. To the Queen of Peace, the Mother of Jesus
Christ “our peace” (Eph 2:14), I entrust my urgent prayer for all humanity at
the beginning of the year 2007, to which we look with hearts full of hope,
notwithstanding the dangers and difficulties that surround us. May Mary show us,
in her Son, the Way of peace, and enlighten our vision, so that we can recognize
Christ's face in the face of every human person, the heart of peace!
From the Vatican, 8 December
2006.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 357.
(2) Sermo 169, 11, 13: PL 38,
923.
(3) No. 3.
(4) Homily at Islinger Feld,
Regensburg, 12 September 2006.
(5) Cf. Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the
collaboration of men and women in the Church and in the world (31 May 2004),
15-16.
(6) No. 38.
(7) In this regard, the Catechism
of the Catholic Church indicates strict and precise criteria: cf. 2307-2317.
(8) Pastoral Constitution Gaudium
et Spes, 80.
(9) Ibid., 76.
