Price € 1,50. Back issues € 3,00

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION IN ENGLISH

Unicuique suum Non praevalebunt

Fifty-third year, number 51-52 (2.677) Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020Vatican City

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1 January 2021

A Culture of Care as aPath to Peace

In view of the upcoming cele-bration of the 54th World Dayof Peace on New Year’s Day,Pope Francis’ Message on thetheme “A Culture of Care as aPath to Peace” was presentedon Thursday morning, 17 De-cemb er.In his Message the Holy Fa-ther notes the many “eventsthat marked humanity’s paththis past year” which “havetaught us how important it isto care for one another and forcreation in our efforts to builda more fraternal society”. Thushe encourages a culture of careas “a way to combat the cul-ture of indifference, waste andconfrontation so prevalent inour time”.The Message recalls that Godthe Creator is not only “thesource of our human vocationto care”, but indeed “a modelof care”, as we see in Jesus’ministry and in the culture ofcare practiced by his followers,who “strove to make theircommunity a welcominghome, concerned for every hu-man need and ready to care forthose most in need”.As the basis for a culture ofcare, the Pope offers principlesof the Church’s social doc-trine, such as the “commit-ment to promoting the dignityof each human person, solidar-ity with the poor and vulnera-ble, the pursuit of the commongood and concern for protec-tion of creation”. These princi-ples, he says, can serve as a“‘compass’ capable of pointingout a common direction andensuring ‘a more humane fu-t u re ’ in the process of global-ization”, and asks “everyone totake this compass in hand andto become a prophetic witnessof the culture of care, workingto overcome the many existingsocial inequalities”.

SEE PA G E 4/5

A birthday gift for Pope Francis from beneficiaries of the Almoner's office

Like sunflowersTo celebrate his 84th birthday on 17 Decem-ber, people receiving assistance from the Of-fice of Papal Charities gave Pope Francis agift of sunflowers for the Chapel in the CasaSanta Marta, where they adorn the MostHoly Sacrament. A simple gesture to recall“the need to always direct your life towardthe Lord, present in the weakest”, as theHoly See Press Office noted. In the style ofsimplicity and gratitude the Holy Father cel-ebrated the day, as in years past, togetherwith other residents of the Casa Santa Mar-ta.

Meanwhile, just a few steps away, the pae-diatric dispensary was teeming with activity

as it had chosen this day to begin distribut-ing Christmas packages to the many needyfamilies with children that it assists. The com-munity of the Santa Marta Dispensary gavethe Pope a bouquet of whiteroses. And significantly, onhis birthday, Francis alsosent four ventilators toVenezuela, earmarked forchildren in particular.

The Pontiff received a let-ter from Sergio Mattarella,President of the Italian Re-public, which expressed his“most fervid wishes” on be-

half of the Italian people, along with his ap-preciation for the Pope's encouragement and“active and supportive closeness” at theheight of the “tragedy of the pandemic”, with

“its grave health, economicand social repercussions”.Mattarella noted that, byinviting the internationalcommunity “to 'open frater-nity' and social friendship”in the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti,the Pope had asked them totake responsibility for “theweak, the poor, the threat-ened and the oppressed”.

INSIDE

Korean Apostolic Nunciature

Archive digitized

PAGE 2

General Audience

There is no prayerwithout love

PAGE 3

Jewish Reflections

Salvation andRedemption asChristians Celebratethe Nativity

SKO R KA ON PA G E 3

An g e l u s

Sign of joy and hope

PAGE 7

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOpage 2 Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020, number 51-52

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION IN ENGLISH

Unicuique suum Non praevalebunt

Vatican Cityredazione.inglese.or@sp c.vaw w w. o s s e r v a t o re ro m a n o .v a

ANDREA MONDAEditor-in-Chief

Editorial office

Piazza Pia, 300193 Roma

telephone +39 06 698 45843

TIPO GRAFIA VAT I C A N A EDITRICEL’OS S E R VAT O R E ROMANO

Photo Servicepubblicazioni.photo@spc.va w w w. p h o t o .v a

Advertising AgencyIl Sole 24 Ore S.p.A.

System Comunicazione PubblicitariaVia Monte Rosa 91, 20149 Milano

s e g re t e r i a d i re z i o n e s y s t e m @ i l s o l e 2 4 o re . c o m

Subscription rates: Italy - Vatican: € 58.00; Europe: € 100.00 - US$ 148.00 £ 80.00; Latin America, Africa, Asia: € 110.00 - US$ 160.00 - £ 88.00;Oceania, North America: € 162.00 - £ 130.00.Management Office: phone +39 06 698 45450/45451/45454; fax +39 06 698 45456; e-mail info.or@spc.va - diffusione.or@spc.va.For India: The weekly English Edition of L'Osservatore Romano is published and distributed inIndia by Carmel International Publishing House, Cotton Hill, Trivandrum- 695 014, Kerala-India;phone: +91471327253, fax: +91471328191, 329934; e-mail: ciph@md4.vsnl.net.in; loroceania@carmelpublications.com.For North America: L’Osservatore Romano (USPS 016-419) is published fifty times per year (weekly, except third week in August and last week in December)by Our Sunday Visitor, L’Osservatore Romano, English Edition, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750. Periodicals Postage Pending at Huntington, IN,and additional mailing offices, USA – phone: 800-348-2440 x2171; fax: 866-891-7390 – e-mail: osvsales@osv.com.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750

Audience with the President of theSlovak Republic

VAT I C A N BULLETIN

Archives of the Korean Apostolic Nunciature now digitized

In the heart of the Church

AUDIENCES

Thursday, 3 DecemberCardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria

Ferrer, S J, Prefect of the Congrega-tion for the Doctrine of the Faith

Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, France, Presi-dent of the Bishops’ Conference ofFrance, with the two vice Presi-dents: Bishop Dominique Blanchetof Belfort-Montbéliard; BishopOlivier Leborgne of Arras and withthe Secretary General Fr Huguesde Woillemont

H.E. Mr Jorge Quesada Concep-ción, Ambassador of Cuba, on hisfarewell visit

Archbishop Mario Giordana, tit-ular of Minori, Apostolic Nuncio

Friday, 4 DecemberThe Ambassadors of Jordan,

Kazakhstan, Zambia, Mauritania,Uzbekistan, Madagascar, Estonia,Rwanda, Denmark and India to theHoly See, on the occasion of thepresentation of their letters of cre-dence

Msgr Segundo Tejado Muñoz,Under-secretary of the Dicastery forPromoting Integral Human Devel-opment

Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Soron-do, titular Bishop of Vescovio,chancellor of the Pontifical Acade-my of Sciences and of the Pontifi-cal Academy of Social Sciences

Fr Abbot Maroun Chidiac, OMM,Superior General of the MariamiteMaronite Order

Saturday, 5 DecemberCardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS, Pre-

fect of the Congregation for Bish-ops

Archbishop Giuseppe Satriano ofBari-Bitonto, Italy

Monday, 7 DecemberH.E. Mr Laurentius Amrih Ji-

nangkung, Ambassador of Indone-sia to the Holy See, for the presen-tation of his letters of credence

Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefectof the Congregation for DivineWorship and the Discipline of theSacraments

Prof. Andrea Monda, director ofL’Osservatore Romano.

CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E

The Holy Father appointed BishopMichael William Fisher as Bishopof the Diocese of Buffalo, United

States of America. Until now hehas served as titular Bishop of Tru-entum and Auxiliary of Washing-ton, (1 Dec.).

Bishop Fisher, 62, was born inBaltimore, USA . He was ordained apriest on 23 June 1990. He was or-dained a bishop on 29 June 2018,subsequent to his appointment astitular Bishop of Truentum andAuxiliary of Washington.The Holy Father appointed FrNorbert Hans Christoph Foerster,SVD, as Bishop of the diocese of Ji-Paraná, Brazil. Until now he hasserved as provincial counsellor ofthe province of Brazil Centro,based in São Paulo (2 Dec.).

Bishop-elect Foerster, 60, wasborn in Bonn, Germany. A memberof the Society of the Divine Word,he was ordained a priest on 10 De-cember 1989. He studied philoso-phy and theology in Münster, Ger-many. In Brazil he obtained a bach-elor’s degree in theology; a licencein religious sciences and a doctor-ate from the UniversidadeMetodista de São Paulo in SãoB e r n a rd o .The Holy Father accepted the res-ignation presented by Bishop Jean-Anatole Kalala Kaseba from thepastoral care of the Diocese ofKamina, Democratic Republic ofthe Congo (3 Dec.).The Holy Father accepted the res-ignation presented by ArchbishopTerrence Thomas Prendergast, S J,from the pastoral care of theMetropolitan Archdiocese of Ot-tawa-Cornwall, Canada. He is suc-ceeded by Archbishop MarcelDamphousse. Until now he hasserved as coadjutor Archbishop ofthe said Archdiocese (4 Dec.).

Archbishop Damphousse, 57, wasborn in Saint Joseph, Manitoba.He was ordained a priest on 28June 1991. He was ordained a bish-op on 2 September 2012, subse-quent to his appointment as Bishopof Alexandria-Cornwall, Canada.On 2 September 2012 he was ap-pointed Bishop of Sault SainteMarie, Canada and on 6 May 2020

he was appointed coadjutor Arch-bishop of Ottawa-Cornwall.The Holy Father appointed BishopMartín Fassi as Bishop of San Mar-tín, Argentina. Until now he hasserved as titular Bishop ofDionysiana and Auxiliary of SanIsidro, Argentina (4 Dec.).

Bishop Fassi, 60, was born inSan Isidro, Argentina. He was or-dained a priest on 14 December1984. He was ordained a bishop on11 December 2014, subsequent tohis appointment as titular Bishopof Dionysiana and Auxiliary of SanI s i d ro .The Holy Father appointed BishopHan Lim Moon as coadjutor of theDiocese of Venado Tuerto, Argenti-na. Until now he has served as tit-ular Bishop of Thucca in Maureta-nia and Auxiliary Bishop of SanMartín, Argentina (5 Dec.).

Bishop Moon, 65, was born inSuwon, Korea. He was ordained apriest on 12 October 1984. He wasordained a bishop on 4 May 2014,subsequent to his appointment astitular Bishop of Thucca in Maure-tania and Auxiliary of San Martín.The Holy Father appointed Arch-bishop Erio Castellucci, Metropoli-tan Archbishop of Modena-Nonan-tola, as Bishop of Carpi, Italy, unit-ing in persona Episcopi the Sees ofModena-Nonantola and Carpi. Un-til now he has served as ApostolicAdministrator of Carpi (7 Dec.).

Archbishop Castellucci, 60, wasborn in Forlì, Italy. he was or-dained a priest on 5 May 1984. Hewas ordained a bishop on 12September 2015, subsequent to hisappointment as Archbishop ofMo dena-Nonantola.

The Holy Father accepted theresignation presented by BishopFabio Suescún Mutis from his of-fice as Military Ordinary forColombia (7 Dec.).The Holy Father appointed BishopVictor Manuel Ochoa Cadavid asMilitary Ordinary for Colombia.Until now he has served as Bishopof Cúcuta, Colombia (7 Dec.).

Bishop Ochoa Cadavid, 58, was

born in Bello, Colombia. He wasordained a priest on 5 July 1986.He was ordained a bishop on 1April 2006, subsequent to his ap-pointment as titular Bishop of SanLeone and Auxiliary Bishop ofMedellín, Colombia. On 24 Jan-uary 2011 he was appointed Bishopof Málaga-Soatá, Colombia and on24 July 2015 he was appointedBishop of Cúcuta, Colombia.

CARDINAL TA K E S POSSESSION

On Sunday, 29 November, Cardi-nal Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel,

Bishop emeritus of San Cristobalde Las Casas, Mexico, took posses-sion of the Title of Saint LuigiMaria Grignion de Montfort.

CO N G R E G AT I O N FOR THECAU S E S OF SAINTS

The Holy Father appointed asmembers of the Congregation forthe Causes of Saints the following:Bishop Filippo Iannone, Presidentof the Pontifical Council for Leg-islative Texts; Archbishop FeliceAccrocca of Benevento; ArchbishopLuigi Vari of Gaeta; and BishopPaolo Selvadagi, Auxiliary Bishopof Rome, Italy (5 Dec.).

On Monday, 14 December, theHoly Father received in audienceH.E. Mrs Zuzana Čaputová, Presi-dent of the Slovak Republic, whosubsequently met with His Excel-lency Archbishop Paul RichardGallagher, Secretary for Relationswith States.

During the cordial discussions inthe Secretariat of State, apprecia-tion was expressed for the good ex-isting bilateral relations, with thehope that they may be furtherstrengthened in the field of educa-

tion, and with regard to the role ofthe Church in society. Mention wasthen made of some issues of mutualinterest, such as the impact of theCovid-19 pandemic, social justiceand the protection of creation.

Finally, the Parties focused onmatters of regional and internation-al nature, such as security, migra-tions and efforts at multilateral lev-el for conflict prevention and reso-lution, with particular attention tothe challenges of the present andfuture of Europe.

Marked by martyrdom and a lack of priests,carried along through the faithful witness ofgenerations of lay people, the KoreanChurch sought in the 19th century an evermore intense relationship with the universalChurch and with the See in Rome. The visitsby John Paul II in 1984 and 1989, by PopeFrancis in August 2014 gave a response tothis yearning but the threads of relations aresecular. It would be a vane effort to look forKorea in Giuseppe De Marchi’s 1957 theclassic repertoire Le nunziature apostoliche dal

1800 al 1956 (The Apostolic Nunciatures from1800 to 1856), while it stands out in AntonioG. Filipazzi’s updated version from the sec-ond half of the 20th century. In fact theApostolic Delegation was established in Ko-rea in 1949, and became an Internunciaturein 1963 and three years later, on 5 September1966, a Nunciature proper. From the firstApostolic Delegate, Patrick James Byrne —who was taken prisoner during the KoreanWar and died in a concentration camp on 25November 1950 — to today, there have been14 papal representatives in Korea who havedefinitively established the local Church,strategically located between China andJapan, within the universal one.

A programme carried out at the VaticanApostolic Archive has recently concluded thedigitization of all the documents of theArchive of the Nunciature from 1949 to 1958.It was sought and accomplished by the Ko-rean Episcopal Conference which financedthe purchase of two of the latest generationscanners. Since last March, two photogra-phers have worked on the digital reproduc-tion of the Vatican Archive from 1953 to 1958,in conjunction with the documents of the

Pontificate of Pius II being opened to con-sultation: thousands of pages in a dozencontainers. Much of the earlier documenta-tion, of the Apostolic Vicariate and then ofthe Apostolic Delegation, was lost during theinvasion of Seoul in June 1950 by communisttro ops.

In the final years of his imprisonment,Msgr Byrne said that the suffering he en-dured for Christ was the greatest privilege ofhis life after that of the priesthood. This sto-ry is reported in the documents of the Vat-ican Archive reproduced at the wish of thePresident of the Korean Episcopal Confer-ence, Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong,and the Secretary General, the Rev. ThomasAquinas Kim Joon-chul. And if the blood ofmartyrs is the seed of Christians, bishopsand Korean Catholics can draw from the his-tory recorded in these documents to rein-force the surprising dynamism of a Church —some five million faithful out of a populationof 50 million. It is the third largest in Asiaafter those of the Philippines and Vietnam,and it continues to play an ever more rele-vant role in the evangelization of the conti-nent.

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOnumber 51-52, Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020 page 3

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning!Those who pray never turntheir backs on the world. Ifprayer does not gather thejoys and sorrows, the hopesand the anxieties of humanity,it becomes a “decorative” ac-tivity, a superficial, theatrical,solitary way of behaving. Weall need interiority: to retreatwithin a space and a timededicated to our relationshipwith God. But this does notmean that we evade reality. Inprayer, God “takes us, blessesus, then breaks us and givesus”, to satisfy everyone’shunger. Every Christian iscalled to become, in God’shands bread, broken andshared. That is, it is concreteprayer, which is not an es-cap e.

So, men and women ofprayer seek solitude and si-lence, not so as not to be dis-turbed, but so as to listen bet-ter to God’s voice. Sometimesthey withdraw from the worldaltogether, in the secret oftheir own room, as Jesus rec-

ommended (cf. Mt 6:6). Butwherever they are, they alwayskeep the doors of their heartswide open: an open door forthose who pray withoutknowing they are praying; forthose who do not pray at allbut who carry within them-selves a stifled cry, a hiddeninvocation; for those whohave erred and have lost theway…. Anyone can knock onthe door of someone whoprays and find a compassion-ate heart that prays withoutexcluding anyone.

Prayer comes from ourhearts and our voices andgives heart and voice to somany people who do notknow how to pray or who donot pray, or who do not wantto pray or for whom it is im-possible to pray: we are theheart and the voice of thesepeople, rising to Jesus, risingto the Father as intercessors.In solitude, whether the soli-tude lasts a long time or onlya half hour, those who pray,separate themselves from ev-erything and from everyone

to find everything and every-one in God. These peoplepray for the whole world,bearing its sorrows and sinson their shoulders. They prayfor each and every person:they are like God’s “anten-nas” in this world. One whoprays sees the face of Christin every poor person whoknocks at the door, in everyperson who has lost themeaning of things.

In the Catechism we read:“intercession — asking on be-half of another (…) has beencharacteristic of a heart at-tuned to God’s mercy” (n.2635). This is very beautiful.When we pray we are in tunewith God’s mercy; havingmercy regarding our sins, be-ing merciful with ourselves,but also merciful with allthose who have asked to beprayed for, those for whomwe want to pray in tune withGo d’s heart. This is trueprayer: in tune with God’smercy, with his merciful heart.“In the age of the Church,Christian intercession partici-

pates in Christ’s, as an expres-sion of the communion ofsaints” (ibid). What does itmean to participate inChrist’s intercession when Iintercede for someone or prayfor someone? Because Christis before the Father. He is theintercessor. He prays for us,and he prays by showing theFather the wounds of hishands because Jesus is physi-cally present before the Fa-ther with his body. Jesus isour intercessor and to pray isto be a bit like Jesus: to inter-cede in Jesus to the Father,for others. And this is veryb eautiful.

Prayer cherishes man.. It issimply human. Those who donot love their brother or sisterdo not pray seriously. We cansay: one cannot pray whensteeped in hatred; one cannotpray when steeped in indiffer-ence. Prayer is offered only inthe spirit of love. Those whodo not love pretend to pray,or they believe they are pray-ing, but they are not prayingbecause they lack precisely

the spirit, which is love. Inthe Church, those who are fa-miliar with the sadness andjoy of others dig deeper thanthose who investigate theworld's “chief systems”. Be-cause of this, human experi-ence is present in everyprayer, because no matterwhat mistakes people mayhave committed, they shouldnever be rejected or set aside.

When believers, moved bythe Holy Spirit, pray for sin-ners, no selection is made, nojudgement or condemnationis uttered: they pray for every-one. And they also pray forthemselves. At that momentthey know they are not thatdifferent from those for whomthey pray. They realize theyare sinners among sinners andthey pray for everyone. Thelesson of the parable of thePharisee and the publican isalways alive and relevant (cf.Lk 18:9-14): we are not betterthan anyone, we are all broth-ers and sisters who bearfragility, suffering and beingsinners in common. There-

fore, a prayer that we can sayto God is this: “Lord, no oneis just in your sight” (cf. Ps143:2), this is what one of thePsalms says: “Lord, no onewho lives is just in your sight,none of us: we are all sinners— we are all in debt, each withan outstanding balance topay; no one is without sin inyour eyes. Lord, have mercyon us"! And with this spirit,prayer is fruitful because wego humbly before God andpray for everyone. Instead,the Pharisee prayed proudly:“I thank you, Lord, because Iam not like others, sinners: Iam just, I always do…”. Thisis not prayer: this is lookingat yourself in a mirror, atone’s own reality. It is likelooking at yourself in a mirror“made-up” with pride.

The world keeps goingthanks to this chain of peoplewho pray, who intercede, andwho are unknown for themost part…but not to God!There are many anonymousChristians who, in times ofpersecution, have repeatedthe words of our Lord: “Fa -ther, forgive them; for theyknow not what they do” (Lk23:34).

The Good Shepherd re-mains faithful even before theawareness of the sin of hisown people: the Good Shep-herd continues to be a fathereven when his children dis-tance themselves and aban-don him. He perseveres in hisservice as shepherd even withthose who bring him to dirtyhis hands; He does not closehis heart to those who haveeven made him suffer.

The Church, in all of hermembers, has the mission topractice the prayer of interces-sion: to intercede for others.This is especially so for thosewho exercise roles of respon-sibility: parents, teachers, or-dained ministers, superiors ofcommunities…. Like Abra-ham and Moses, they must attimes “defend” the people en-trusted to them before God.In reality, we are talkingabout protecting them withGo d’s eyes and heart, with hissame invincible compassionand tenderness. Praying withtenderness for others.

Brothers and sisters, we areall leaves on the same tree:each one that falls reminds usof the great piety that mustbe nourished in prayer, forone another. So let us prayfor each other. It will do usgood and do good for every-one. Thank you!

SPECIAL GREETINGS

I cordially greet the En-glish-speaking faithful. Onour Advent journey, may thelight of Christ illumine ourpaths and dispel all darknessand fear from our hearts. Up-on you and your families I in-voke the joy and peace of ourLord Jesus Christ.

Lastly, as usual, mythoughts turn to the elderly, toyoung people, to the sick and tonewlyweds. I hope that every-one may welcome the grace ofthese days: that it may be acomfort to you elderly peo-ple, fortitude for you youngpeople and trust in DivineProvidence for you newly-weds. May God bless youall!

Pope Francis’ catechesis on prayers of intercession

There is no prayerwithout love

“Those who do not love their brother or sister do not prayseriously”, Pope Francis told the faithful during the General

Audience on Wednesday morning, 16 December. Continuing hisseries of catecheses on prayer, he reflected on the prayer of

intercession. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’swords, which he shared in Italian from the Library of the

Va t i c a n ’s Apostolic Palace.

Jewish Reflections

Salvation and Redemptionas Christians Celebrate the Nativity

ABRAHAM SKO R KA

A mong the concepts in theBible that are central tothe faiths of both Israeland Christianity are re-demption (geulah) and salvation(yeshuah). While often the two termsare casually used interchangeably,there are certain distinctions worthnoting in the Jewish tradition.While salvation refers to the libera-tion of a human being from the op-pression inflicted on him or her byanother (Exodus 14:13; Psalm 14:7),or an oppression inherent in thedrama of the human condition(Psalm 62:2), redemption seems toallude to a return to an ideal pastsituation that was impaired or lost.In Leviticus 25, the word geulah isapplied to the return or redemptionof property to its original owners.This would re-establish the Hebrewvision of an ideal society in whichland or property was equitably di-vided among families so as to makethem self-sufficient In Jewish un-derstanding, redemption, althoughit ultimately comes from God, re-quires the collaborative efforts ofGod and humanity. God revealedto Moses the divine intention to re-deem the Children of Israel fromEgypt and restore their freedom(Exodus 6: 6), but this plan wouldrequire Moses to encourage the He-brew people to leave the land oftheir enslavement.

In contrast, salvation is a revela-

tion or deed of the Creator in whichthe Jew must place his or her faithand hope. The Talmud (b. Shabbat31, a) describes six questions thatthe heavenly tribunal asks each Jewwho has died. One of them is: didyou believe and wait for God’s sal-vation? Note that salvation must beawaited, while redemption must beactively pursued.

The concept of an anointed mes-siah to advance God’s plans is alsorelevant here. In some Jewish inter-pretations, Isaiah 11 is the first timein which the idea of a future messi-ah appears in the Bible in referenceto a king of Israel. This individualis envisioned as a descendant ofDavid who will reign in a time ofjustice and universal knowledge ofGod. In the following chapter, Isa-iah speaks about salvation. In thesepassages can be seen the intimaterelationship between the two wordsmashiach and yeshuah (messiah andsalvation).

Over time, messianic thinking be-came linked to the interpretation ofboth salvation and redemption. Itwas discussed within Judaism bothbefore and after the time of Jesus.Some passages in the Dead SeaScrolls refer to multiple messiahs

(e.g., 1QS 9.10-11), and a uniquefragment seems to refer to a messiahraising the dead (4Q521). The Tal-mud presents different opinionsabout the coming of this figure (b.Sanhedrin 98, b). As Christians be-gin preparing to celebrate the birthof Jesus of Nazareth, it might begood to recall that his name un-doubtedly derives from Ye s h u a ,meaning “God saves” or “Go dsave!” and that it has messianic con-notations. Indeed, over the cen-turies, the question of whether theMessiah had already come or wasstill awaited divided Jews and Chris-tians into antagonistic camps. Barri-ers of misunderstanding were erect-ed. Political, economic, and socialfactors promoted a relationship ofanimosity between them with the re-sult that there really was little incen-tive to seek the path of dialogue,where only the love of God and thehuman person should be found,even in disagreement.

In our time, as Pope Francis hassaid, a new “journey of friendship”between both communities has be-gun thanks to Nostra Aetate and thecontinuing efforts of all those wholabor to transform that documentinto a living reality.

We can now learn from each oth-er that, in their different ways, Jewsand Christians both await the full-ness of salvation for all of creation.From the Jewish perspective, theconcept of “re d e m p t i o n ” demandsand compels us both to work to-gether to correct, with the help ofthe Eternal, that which has goneastray. Surely, the current globalpandemic, economic crises,widespread racism and divisiveness,and rampant hunger and homeless-ness all demand that we seek to “re -deem” the situation, to labor to re-store the world to God’s intentionsfor it. In this understanding of theprocess of redemption, human be-ings have an active role, because ac-cording to the Sages, by acting withjustice and righteousness they be-come God’s partner in completingthe creation of the cosmos (b. Shab-bat 10 , a; 119, b).

Although as a Jew I do not sharethe church’s convictions about JesusChrist, I pray that the celebration ofhis Nativity might inspire an active,redemptive spirituality that con-tributes to the mending of theworld. To our Christian brothersand sisters, sincere wishes for a buonNatale!

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOpage 4, number 51-52, Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020 number 51-52, Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020, page 5

World Day of Peace 2021

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis

A Culture of Care as aPath to Peace

1. At the dawn of a new year, I ex-tend cordial greetings to Heads ofState and Government, leaders ofInternational Organizations, spiri-tual leaders and followers of thedifferent religions, and to men andwomen of good will. To all I offermy best wishes that the comingyear will enable humanity to ad-vance on the path of fraternity, jus-tice and peace between individu-als, communities, peoples and na-tions.

The year 2020 was marked bythe massive Covid-19 health crisis,which became a global phe-nomenon cutting across bound-

aries, aggravating deeply interre-lated crises like those of the cli-mate, food, the economy and mi-gration, and causing great suffer-ing and hardship. I think especial-ly of all those who lost familymembers or loved ones, and allwho lost their jobs. I think too ofphysicians and nurses, pharma-cists, researchers, volunteers, chap-lains and the personnel of hospi-tals and healthcare centres. Theyhave made, and are continuing tomake, great sacrifices to be presentto the sick, to alleviate their suffer-ings and to save their lives; indeed,many of them have died in theprocess. In paying tribute to them,I renew my appeal to politicalleaders and the private sector tospare no effort to ensure access toCovid-19 vaccines and to the es-sential technologies needed to carefor the sick, the poor and thosewho are most vulnerable.1

Sad to say, alongside all thesetestimonies of love and solidarity,we have also seen a surge in vari-ous forms of nationalism, racism

and xenophobia, and wars andconflicts that bring only death anddestruction in their wake.

These and other events thatmarked humanity’s path this pastyear have taught us how importantit is to care for one another and forcreation in our efforts to build amore fraternal society. That is whyI have chosen as the title of thisyear’s Message, A Culture of Care as aPath to Peace. A culture of care as away to combat the culture of indif-ference, waste and confrontationso prevalent in our time.

2. God the Creator, the source of ourhuman vocation to care

Many religious traditions haveaccounts of the origin of humanbeings and their relationship withthe Creator, with nature and withtheir fellow men and women. Inthe Bible, the Book of Genesisshows from its very first pages theimportance of c a re or protection inGo d’s plan for humanity. It high-lights the relationship betweenman (’adam) and the earth(’adamah), and among ourselves asbrothers and sisters. In the biblical

account of creation, God entruststhe garden “planted in Eden” (cf.Gen 2:8) to Adam’s care, to “till itand keep it” (Gen 2:15). This entailsmaking the earth productive, whileat the same time protecting it andpreserving its capacity to supportlife.2 The verbs “till” and “keep”describe Adam’s relationship tohis garden home, but also the trustGod placed in him by making himmaster and guardian of all cre-ation.

The birth of Cain and Abel be-gins a history of brothers and sis-ters, whose relationship is under-stood — even by Cain, howevermistakenly — in terms of p ro t e c t i o nor “keeping”. After killing his broth-er Abel, Cain answers God’s ques-tion by saying: “Am I my brother’skeep er?” (Gen 4:9).3 Cain, like allof us, was called to be “his broth-er’s keeper”. “These ancient sto-ries, full of symbolism, bear wit-ness to a conviction which we to-day share, that everything is inter-connected, and that genuine carefor our own lives and our relation-

ship with nature is inseparablefrom fraternity, justice and faith-fulness to others”.4

3. God the Creator, a model of careSacred Scripture presents God

not only as Creator, but also asone who cares for his creatures, es-pecially Adam, Eve and their off-spring. Albeit cursed for the crimehe committed, Cain was given amark of protection by the Creator, sothat his life could be spared (cf.Gen 4:15). While confirming the in-violable dignity of the person createdin God’s image and likeness, thiswas also a sign of God’s plan topreserve the harmony of his cre-ation, since “peace and violencecannot dwell together”.5

Care for creation was at theheart of the institution of the Sab-bath, which, in addition to orderingdivine worship, aimed at therestoration of the social order andconcern for the poor (cf. Gen 1:1-3;Lev 25:4). The celebration of theJubilee every seventh sabbaticalyear provided a respite for theland, for slaves and for those indebt. In that year of grace, thosein greatest need were cared for andgiven a new chance in life, so thatthere would be no poor among thepeople (cf. Deut 15:4).

In the prophetic tradition, thebiblical understanding of justicefound its highest expression in theway a community treats its weakestmembers. Amos (cf. 2:6-8; 8) andIsaiah (cf. 58), in particular, insis-tently demand justice for the poor,who, in their vulnerability andpowerlessness, cry out and areheard by God, who watches overthem (cf. Ps 34:7; 113:7-8).

4. Care in the ministry of JesusJesus’ life and ministry repre-

sent the supreme revelation of theFa t h e r ’s love for humanity (cf. Jn3:16). In the synagogue at Naza-reth, Jesus showed himself to bethe one consecrated by the Lordand “sent to preach good news tothe poor, to proclaim release to thecaptives and recovering of sight tothe blind, to set at liberty thosewho are oppressed” (Lk 4:18).These messianic actions, associat-ed with the Jubilee year, bear elo-quent witness to the mission he re-ceived from the Father. In hiscompassion, Christ drew near tothe sick in body and spirit, andbrought them healing; he par-doned sinners andgave them new life.Jesus is the GoodShepherd who caresfor his sheep (cf. Jn10:11-18; Ezek 34:1-31). He is the GoodSamaritan whostoops to help theinjured man, bindshis wounds andcares for him (cf. Lk10:30-37).

At the culmination of his mis-sion, Jesus gave the ultimate proofof his care for us by offering him-self on the cross to set us free fromthe slavery of sin and death. Bythe sacrificial gift of his life, heopened for us the path of love. Toeach of us he says, “Follow me; goand do likewise” (cf. Lk 10:37).

5. A culture of care in the life of Jesus’f o l l o w e rs

The spiritual and corporalworks of mercy were at the heart ofcharity as practised by the earlyChurch. The first generation of

Christians shared what they had,so that no one among them wouldbe in need (cf. Ac t s 4:34-35). Theystrove to make their community awelcoming home, concerned forevery human need and ready tocare for those most in need. It be-came customary to make voluntaryofferings in order to feed the poor,bury the dead and care for or-phans, the elderly and victims ofdisasters like shipwrecks. In latertimes, when the generosity ofChristians had lost its initial fer-vour, some Fathers of the Churchinsisted that property was meantby God for the common good. ForSaint Ambrose, “nature pouredout all things for the common useof all… and thus produced a com-mon right for all, but greed has

made it a right for only a few”.6After the persecutions of the firstcenturies, the Church used hernewfound freedom to inspire soci-ety and its culture. “The needs ofthe times called forth new effortsin the service of Christian charity.History records innumerable ex-amples of practical works of mer-cy… The Church’s work amongthe poor was to a great extenthighly organized. There arosemany institutions for the relief ofevery human need: hospitals, poorhouses, orphanages, foundlinghomes, shelters for travelers ...”.7

6. The principles of the Church’s socialdoctrine as the basis for a culture of care

The diakonia of the Church’s ori-gins, enriched by the reflection ofthe Fathers and enlivened over thecenturies by the active charity ofmany luminous witnesses to thefaith, became the beating heart ofthe Church’s social doctrine. Thisdoctrine is offered to all people ofgood will as a precious patrimonyof principles, criteria and propos-als that can serve as a “grammar”of care: commitment to promotingthe dignity of each human person,solidarity with the poor and vul-nerable, the pursuit of the com-mon good and concern for protec-tion of creation.

Care as promotion of the dignity andrights of each person

“The very concept of the per-son, which originated and devel-oped in Christianity, fosters thepursuit of a fully human develop-ment. Person always signifies rela-tionship, not individualism; it af-firms inclusion, not exclusion,unique and inviolable dignity, notexploitation”.8 Each human per-son is an end in himself or herself,and never simply a means to bevalued only for his or her useful-ness. Persons are created to live to-gether in families, communitiesand societies, where all are equalin dignity. Human rights derivefrom this dignity, as do human du-ties, like the responsibility to wel-come and assist the poor, the sick,the excluded, every one of our“neighbours, near or far in spaceand time”.9

Care for the common goodEvery aspect of social, political

and economic life achieves itsfullest end when placed at the ser-vice of the common good, in otherwords, “the sum total of socialconditions which allow people, ei-

The “events that marked humanity’s paththis past year have taught us howimportant it is to care for one anotherand for creation in our efforts to build amore fraternal society”

“A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace” is the theme for the Message of Pope Francis— presented on Thursday morning, 17 December — for the 54th World Day of Peaceto be celebrated on 1 January 2021. The following is the English text of the Mes-sage.

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOpage 4, number 51-52, Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020 number 51-52, Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020, page 5

World Day of Peace 2021

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis

A Culture of Care as aPath to Peace

ther as groups or as individuals, toreach their fulfilment more fullyand more easily”.10 C o n s e q u e n t l y,our plans and projects should al-ways take into account their effectson the entire human family, andconsider their consequences forthe present and for coming gener-ations. The Covid-19 pandemichas shown us the truth and timeli-ness of this fact. In the face of thepandemic, “we have realized thatwe are in the same boat, all of usfragile and disoriented, but at thesame time important and needed,all of us called to row together”,11since “no one reaches salvation bythemselves”12 and no state can en-sure the common good of its pop-ulation if it remains isolated.13

Care through solidaritySolidarity concretely expresses

our love for others, not as a vaguesentiment but as a “firm and perse-vering determination to commitoneself to the common good; thatis to say to the good of all and ofeach individual, because we are allreally responsible for all”.14 Soli-darity helps us to regard others —whether as individuals or, morebroadly, as peoples or nations — asmore than mere statistics, or as ameans to be used and then dis-carded once no longer useful, butas our neighbours, companions onour journey, called like ourselvesto partake of the banquet of life towhich all are equally invited byGo d.

Care and protection of creationThe Encyclical Laudato Si’ is ful-

ly aware that all creation is inter-connected. It also highlights ourneed to listen to the cry of thepoor and, at the same time, to thecry of creation. Constant and at-tentive listening leads in turn to ef-fective care for the earth, our com-mon home, and for our brothers

and sisters in need. Here I wouldonce again point out that “a senseof deep communion with the restof nature cannot be authentic ifour hearts lack tenderness, com-passion and concern for our fellowhuman beings”.15 “Peace, justiceand care for creation are three in-herently connected questions,which cannot be separated in sucha way as to be treated individually,lest we fall back into reduction-ism”.16

7. A compass pointing to a common pathAt a time dominated by a cul-

ture of waste, faced with growinginequalities both within and be-tween nations,17 I urge governmentleaders and those of internationalorganizations, business leaders,scientists, communicators and ed-ucators, to take up these principlesas a “compass” capable of pointingout a common direction and ensuring“a more humane future”18 in theprocess of globalization. This willenable us to esteem the value anddignity of every person, to act to-gether in solidarity for the com-mon good, and to bring relief tothose suffering from poverty, dis-ease, slavery, armed conflicts, anddiscrimination. I ask everyone totake this compass in hand and tobecome a prophetic witness of theculture of care, working to over-come the many existing social in-equalities. This can only comeabout through a widespread andmeaningful involvement on thepart of women, in the family andin every social, political and insti-tutional sphere.

The compass of these social prin-ciples, so essential for the growthof a culture of care, also points tothe need for relationships betweennations to be inspired by fraterni-ty, mutual respect, solidarity and

the observance of internationallaw. In this regard, we must recog-nize the need to defend and pro-mote fundamental human rights,which are inalienable, universaland indivisible.19

Likewise urgent is the need torespect humanitarian law, especial-ly at this time when conflicts andwars continue uninterrupted.Tragically, many regions and com-munities can no longer remembera time when they dwelt in securityand peace. Numerous cities havebecome epicentres of insecurity:citizens struggle to maintain theirnormal routine in the face of indis-criminate attacks by explosives, ar-tillery and small arms. Childrenare unable to study. Men andwomen cannot work to supporttheir families. Famine is spreadingin places where it was previouslyunknown. People are being forcedto take flight, leaving behind notonly their homes but also theirfamily history and their culturalro ots.

While such conflicts have manycauses, the result is always thesame: destruction and humanitari-an crises. We need to stop and askourselves what has led our worldto see conflict as something nor-mal, and how our hearts can beconverted and our ways of think-ing changed, in order to work fortrue peace in solidarity and frater-n i t y.

How many resources are spenton weaponry, especially nuclearweap ons,20 that could be used formore significant priorities such asensuring the safety of individuals,the promotion of peace and inte-gral human development, the fightagainst poverty, and the provisionof health care. Global problemslike the present Covid-19 pandem-ic and climate change have onlymade these challenges all the moreevident. What a courageous deci-sion it would be to “establish a‘Global Fund’ with the moneyspent on weapons and other mili-tary expenditures, in order to per-manently eliminate hunger andcontribute to the development ofthe poorest countries”!21

8. Educating for a culture of carePromoting a culture of care calls

for a process of education. The “com-pass” of social principles can proveuseful and reliable in a variety ofinterrelated contexts. Let me offera few examples:

— Educating people to care be-gins in the f a m i l y, the natural andfundamental nucleus of society, inwhich we learn how to live and re-late to others in a spirit of mutualrespect. Yet families need to beempowered to carry out this vitaland indispensable task.

— Together with the family,schools and universities — and, in somerespects, the communications media —are also responsible for educa-tion.22 They are called to pass on asystem of values based on therecognition of the dignity of eachperson, each linguistic, ethnic andreligious community and eachpeople, as well as the fundamentalrights arising from that recogni-tion. Education is one of the pil-lars of a more just and fraternal so-c i e t y.

— Religions in general, and reli-gious l e a d e rs in particular, can playan indispensable role in handingon to their followers, and to soci-ety at large, the values of solidari-ty, respect for differences, and con-

cern for our brothers and sisters inneed. Here I think of the wordsspoken in 1969 by Pope Paul VI tothe Ugandan Parliament: “Haveno fear of the Church; she honoursyou, she educates honest and loyalcitizens for you, she does not fo-ment rivalries and divisions, sheseeks to promote healthy liberty,social justice, and peace. If she hasany preference at all, it is for thepoor, for the education of littleones and of the people, for thecare of the suffering and aban-doned”.23

— Once more I encourage allthose engaged in public serviceand in international organizations,both governmental and non-gov-ernmental, and all those otherswho in various ways are involvedin the areas of education and re-search, to work towards the goal ofa “more open and inclusive educa-tion, involving patient listening,constructive dialogue and bettermutual understanding”.24 It is myhope that this appeal, made in thecontext of the Global Compact on Ed-ucation, will be broadly acknowl-edged and accepted.

9. There can be no peace without aculture of care

The culture of care thus calls for acommon, supportive and inclusivecommitment to protecting andpromoting the dignity and good ofall, a willingness to show care andcompassion, to work for reconcili-ation and healing, and to advancemutual respect and acceptance. Assuch, it represents a privilegedpath to peace. “In many parts ofthe world, there is a need for pathsof peace to heal open wounds.There is also a need for peacemak-ers, men and women prepared towork boldly and creatively to initi-ate processes of healing and re-newed encounter”.25

At a time like this, when thebarque of humanity, tossed by thestorm of the current crisis, strug-gles to advance towards a calmerand more serene horizon, the “ru d -der” of human dignity and the“compass” of fundamental socialprinciples can enable us togetherto steer a sure course. As Chris-tians, we should always look toOur Lady, Star of the Sea andMother of Hope. May we work to-gether to advance towards a newhorizon of love and peace, of fra-ternity and solidarity, of mutualsupport and acceptance. May wenever yield to the temptation todisregard others, especially thosein greatest need, and to look theother way;26 instead, may we strivedaily, in concrete and practicalways, “to form a community com-posed of brothers and sisters whoaccept and care for one anoth-er”.27

From the Vatican,8 December 2020

1 Cf. Video Message to the Seventy-fifth Meeting of the General Assembly ofthe United Nations, 25 September2020.

2 Cf. Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’(24 May 2015), 67.

3 Cf. “Fraternity, the Foundation andPathway to Peace”, Message for the 2014World Day of Peace (8 December2013), 2.

4 Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24May 2015), 70.

5 PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR

JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium ofthe Social Doctrine of the Church, No.488.

6 De Officiis, 1, 28, 132: PL 16, 67.7 K. BIHLMEYER—H. TÜCHLE,

Church History, vol. 1, Westminster,The Newman Press, 1958, pp. 373,374.

8 Address to Participants in the Con-ference organized by the Dicastery for Pro-moting Integral Human Development tomark the Fiftieth Anniversary of the En-cyclical ‘Populorum Progressio’ (4 April2017).

9 Message for the Twenty-second Ses-sion of the Conference of the Parties to theUnited Nations Framework Conventionon Climate Change (COP22), 10November 2016. Cf. INTERDICAST-ERIAL RO U N D TA B L E OF THE HO LYSEE ON INTEGRAL ECOLO GY, Jour-neying Towards Care for Our CommonHome: Five Years after Laudato Si’, Li-breria Editrice Vaticana, 31 May2020.

10 SECOND VAT I C A N ECUMENI-CAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitu-tion on the Church in the ModernWorld Gaudium et Spes, 26.

11 Extraordinary Moment of Prayer inTime of Epidemic, 27 March 2020.

12 Ibid.13 Cf. Encyclical Letter Fra t e l l i

Tu t t i (3 October 2020), 8; 153.14 SAINT JOHN PAU L II, Encycli-

cal Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30December 1987), 38.

15 Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’(24 May 2015), 91.

16 EP I S C O PA L CONFERENCE OFTHE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Pas-toral Letter Sobre la relación del hombrecon la naturaleza (21 January 1987);cf. Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24May 2015), 92.

17 Cf. Encyclical Letter Fra t e l l iTu t t i (3 October 2020), 125.

18 Ibid., 29.19 Cf. Message to Participants in the

International Conference “Human Rightsin the Contemporary World: Achievements,

Omissions, Negations”, Rome, 10-11December 2018.

20 Cf. Message to the United NationsConference to Negotiate a Legally BindingInstrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons,Leading Towards their Total Elimination,23 March 2017.

21 Video Message for the 2020 WorldFood Day (16 October 2020).

22 Cf. BENEDICT XVI, “EducatingYoung People in Justice and Peace”, Me s -sage for the 2012 World Day of Peace, (8December 2011), 2; “Overcome Indif-ference and Win Peace”, Message for the2016 World Day of Peace, (8 Decem-ber 2015), 6.

23 Address to the Parliament of Ugan-da, Kampala, 1 August 1969.

24 Message for the Launch of the Glob-al Compact on Education, 12 Septem-ber 2019.

25 Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti (3October 2020), 225.

26 Cf. ibid., 64.27 Ibid., 96; cf. “Fraternity, the

Foundation and Pathway to Peace”, Me s -sage for the 2014 World Day of Peace (8December 2013), 1.

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOpage 6 Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020, number 51-52

Pope to delegation of donors of the Christmas tree and Nativity scene

Signs of hope in theChristmas of the pandemic

Video message of the Holy Father for presentation of the volume on the Congolese Rite

An example for other cultures

Pope amends Canon Law for Oriental Churches

The richness ofthe gifts of the Holy Spirit

“This Christmas too, in the midst of the suffering of the pandemic, Jesus, small and help-less, is the “‘Sign’ that God gives to the world”, Pope Francis said on Friday morning, 11December, as he received in audience a delegation of donors of the Christmas tree andNativity scene currently on display in Saint Peter’s Square. The following is a translationof the Holy Father’s address to the group.

poverty, of evangelicalpoverty, which makesus blessed: contem-plating the holy Fam-ily and the variouscharacters, we are at-tracted by their dis-arming humility. OurLady and Saint Jo-seph came from Naza-reth to Bethlehem.There is no place forthem, not even a smallroom (cf. Lk 2:7);Mary listens, observesand keeps everything in her heart(cf. Lk 2:19, 51). Joseph searches fora place suitable for her and for theChild who is about to be born. Theshepherds are key figures in the Na-tivity scene, as in the Gospel. Theylive in the outdoors. They keepwatch. The announcement of theAngels is for them, and they imme-diately go to look for the Saviourwho is born (cf. Lk 2: 8-16). Thefeast of the Nativity reminds us thatJesus is our peace, our joy, ourstrength, our comfort. But, to re-

ceive these gifts of grace, it is nec-essary to feel small, poor and hum-ble like the figures in the Nativity.

This Christmas too, in the midstof the suffering of the pandemic,Jesus, small and helpless, is the“Sign” that God gives to the world(cf. Lk 2:12). An enchanting image,as the Letter on the Nativity scenethat I signed a year ago in Grecciobegins. It will be good for us toreread it in these days.

Dear friends, I thank you allwholeheartedly! And also those who

were unable to be present today, aswell as those who have collaboratedin the transport and setting up ofthe tree and the Nativity display.May the Lord reward you for youravailability and generosity. I sendyou my best wishes for a Christmascelebration full of hope, and I askyou to convey them to your familiesand to all your fellow citizens. I as-sure you of my prayers and I blessyou. And you too, please do notforget to pray for me. Merry Christ-mas! Thank you.

Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development

A new website dedicated to Encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’

Dear Brothers and Sisters!You have come for the official pre-sentation of the Christmas tree andthe Nativity display in Saint Peter’sSquare; I warmly welcome you andI thank you for your presence. Igreet the delegation from the Re-public of Slovenia, led by the For-eign Minister, accompanied by Car-dinal Rodé and the Archbishop ofMaribor, and composed of otherministers, ambassadors and distin-guished guests. Indeed, Sloveniahas donated this majestic red pine,chosen from the forests of Kočevje.And I greet the delegation from thediocese of Teramo-Atri, with Bishop

Lorenzo Leuzzi and various civilauthorities: the monumental ceram-ic Nativity scene comes from yourland, and specifically from Castelli.This afternoon the inauguration ofboth of these “icons” of Christmaswill take place. Never as in this yearhave they been such a sign of hopefor Romans and for the pilgrimswho are able to come to admirethem.

The tree and the Nativity displayhelp create the Christmas atmo-sphere conducive to living withfaith the mystery of the Nativity ofthe Redeemer. In the Nativity, ev-erything speaks to us of “go o d”

The following is a translation of the Apos-tolic Letter issued Motu Proprio withwhich Pope Francis has amended canons435 §1 and 506 §1 of the Code ofCanons of the Oriental Churches.

LITTERAE APOSTOLICAEMOTU PROPRIO DATA E

AB INITIOQUIBUS C A N. 435 § 1

ET C A N. 506 §1CODICIS CANONUM

ECCLESIARUM OR I E N TA L I U MM U TA N T U R

Ever since the earliest times of theChurch, some of the faithful havefelt called to consecrate their lifeto the service of God and theirbrethren in a special way, bearingwitness before the community oftheir detachment from the worldthrough what would then becomethe profession of the evangelicalcounsels of chastity, poverty andob edience.

Individual experiences were fol-lowed, first in the East and thenin the West, by those of fraternalcommunal life, defined by the pre-scriptions of a Rule and by sub-mission to the Superior.

“Thus it has come about”, saysVatican Council II, “that, as if ona tree which has grown in thefield of the Lord, various forms ofsolidarity and community life, aswell as various religious familieshave branched out in a marvelousand multiple way from this divine-ly given seed. Such a multiple andmiraculous growth augments boththe progress of the members ofthese various religious familiesthemselves and the welfare of theentire Body of Christ” (D ogmaticConstitution Lumen Gentium, 43)..

The Church welcomes the vari-ous forms of consecrated life as amanifestation of the richness ofthe gifts of the Holy Spirit; eccle-siastical authority, especially thePastors of the particular Churches,interprets the counsels, regulatestheir practice and, on their basis,constitutes stable forms of life,avoiding that “communities maybe needlessly brought into beingwhich are useless or which lacksufficient resources” (Decree Perfec-tae Caritatis, 19).

It is the responsibility of theApostolic See both to accompanythe Pastors in the process of dis-cernment that leads to the eccle-sial recognition of a new Instituteor of a new Society of eparchiallaw, and to make a final judgmentto test the authenticity of the in-spiring purpose.

After having provided for theamendments to the Code ofCanon Law, from this perspectiveI also order the amendment ofcann. 435 §1 and 506 §1 of theC C E O, which are replaced by thefollowing texts, respectively:

Can. 435 §1 — Episcopi eparchialisest erigere monasterium sui iuris praevialicentia scripto data intra fines territoriiEcclesiae patriarchalis Patriarchae aut inceteris casibus Sedis Apostolicae.

Can. 506 §1 — Episcopus eparchialiserigere potest tantum congregationes; sedeas ne erigat nisi praevia licentia scriptodata Sedis Apostolicae et insuper intrafines territorii Ecclesiae patriarchalis nisiconsulto Patriarcha.

I order that what has been de-liberated in this Apostolic Letterin the form of a Motu Proprioshall have firm and stable force,notwithstanding anything to thecontrary, even if worthy of specialmention, and that it be promul-gated by publication in L’Osserva-tore Romano, entering into force on8 December 2020, and thereafterpublished in the official commen-tary of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

Given at Saint John Lateran,on 21 November 2020,

Memorial of the Presentation ofthe Blessed Virgin Mary,

the eighth of my Pontificate.

FRANCIS

The Dicastery for Promoting Inte-gral Human Development haslaunched a special website dedicatedto Pope Francis’ Encyclical Fra t e l l iTu t t i . Created in cooperation with theDicastery for Communication, itaims to spread the Encyclical’s mes-sage of fraternity and social friend-ship

The website is both intuitive andeasy to consult, and is currently

available in Italian, Spanish and En-glish, with numerous resources avail-able in other languages, includingFrench, Portuguese, Arabic and Chi-nese. Furthermore, work is underwayto expand the site’s languages. Inaddition to a “News” section, whichdirectly links to the latest “Va t i c a nNews” articles on the Encyclical, thewebsite includes a section that col-lects the Encyclical’s infographics

and presentation videos. Also in themaking is a space called “Initia-tives”, containing contributions fromlocal Churches, organizations, net-works, and communities, religiousand not, aimed at implementing theEncyclical’s message. The websitecan be accessed at: www.humande-velopment.va and also has direct ac-cess from the URL w w w. f r a t e l l i t u t -t i .v a .

The following is a translation of the text of the video message thatthe Holy Father sent to participants in the presentation of the vol-ume on the Congolese Rite of the celebration of the Mass, publishedby the Libreria Editrice Vaticana (Vatican Publishing House).

I rejoice that I am able to connect with you for thisevent, which is so important for the Church in Africa.Thank you for giving me the opportunity to join thisevent of the presentation of the volume on the Con-

golese Rite of the celebration of Mass. One year afterthe celebration of the Mass at which I presided inSaint Peter’s Basilica, with the Congolese Rite, theVatican Library has published a volume on the event.The book is edited by Sister Rita Mboshu Kongo andhas as its subtitle, “A promising rite for other cul-t u re s ”. This subtitle clearly indicates the fundamentalreason behind this publication: a book that is the tes-timony of a celebration lived with faith and joy. Thespiritual and ecclesial significance and the pastoral

purpose of the Eucharistic celebration in the Con-golese Rite were at the basis of the book. The princi-ples of the need for scientific study, adaptation andactive participation in the Liturgy, strongly desired bythe Council, guided the authors of this volume. As thefirst and only inculturated rite of the Latin Churchapproved after the Second Vatican Council, the expe-rience of the Congolese Rite of the celebration ofMass may serve as an example and model for othercultures. One of the main contributions of the SecondVatican Council was indeed to propose norms foradaptation to the character and traditions of variouspeoples. I urge you — as Saint John Paul II said to theBishops of Congo on a visit ad limina Apostolorum on 23April 1988 — to commit yourselves in the same way tothe whole ritual of the Sacraments and the sacramen-tals that you have in mind to complete this Rite.

Let us remember what was explicitly stated inQuerida Amazonia — to “take up into the liturgymany elements proper to the experience of indige-nous peoples in their contact with nature, and respectnative forms of expression in song, dance, rituals, ges-tures and symbols. The Second Vatican Councilcalled for this effort to inculturate the liturgy amongindigenous peoples; over fifty years have passed andwe still have far to go along these lines” (82).

The Congolese Rite of the Eucharistic celebrationvalues the various languages, colours, and move-ments of the body that interact, appealing to all thedimensions of the personality of the faithful, alwaystaking into account the specific values of each peo-ple.

This publication, dear brothers and sisters, re-minds us that the true protagonist of the CongoleseRite is the People of God who sing to and praise God,the God of Jesus Christ, who has saved us.

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOnumber 51-52, Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020 page 7

The Holy Father blesses Baby Jesus figurines for Nativity scenes

Sign of joy and hope

ANGELUS

At the Angelus on Sunday, 13 December, Pope Francis reflected on the invi-tation to joy that is characteristic of the season of Advent, when we wait in ex-pectation of Jesus’ birth. After reciting the Marian prayer, he blessed the BabyJesus figurines that had been brought to him by a group of young people fromRome. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s words which he de-livered in Italian.

indicating Jesus as the Christ,the One sent by God,promised by the Prophets.John was a leader of his time.His renown had spreadthroughout Judea and be-yond, to Galilee. But he didnot surrender even for an in-stant to the temptation todraw attention to himself: healways oriented himself to-ward the One who was tocome. He used to say: “hewho comes after me, the thongof whose sandal I am not wor-thy to untie” (v. 27). Alwaysindicating the Lord. Like OurLady: always indicating theLord: “Do whatever he tellsyou”. The Lord is always atthe centre. The Saints aroundhim, indicating the Lord. And

one who does not indicate theLord is not holy! This is thefirst condition of Christianjoy: to decentralize from oneself andplace Jesus at the centre. This isnot alienation, because Jesus iseffectively the centre; he is thelight that gives full meaning tothe life of every man andwoman who comes into thisworld. It is the same dy-

namism of love, which leadsme to come out of myself, notto lose myself but to find my-self again, while I give myself,while I seek the good of oth-ers.

John the Baptist undertooka long journey to come to bearwitness to Jesus. The journeyof joy is not a walk in the park.It takes work to always be joy-ful. John left everything, in hisyouth, to put God in firstplace, to listen to His Wordwith all his heart and all hisstrength. John withdrew intothe desert, stripping himself ofall things superfluous, in or-der to be freer to follow thewind of the Holy Spirit. Ofcourse, some of his personalitytraits are unique, unrepeat-able; they cannot be recom-mended for everyone. But hiswitness is paradigmatic forwhoever wishes to seek themeaning of his or her life andfind true joy. In particular, theBaptist is a model for those inthe Church who are called toproclaim Christ to others: theyare able to do so only by de-taching from themselves andfrom worldliness, by not at-tracting people to themselvesbut directing them toward Je-sus.

This is joy: directing towardJesus. And joy must be thecharacteristic of our faith.Even in dark moments, thatinner joy, of knowing that theLord is with me, that the Lordis with us, that the Lord isRisen. The Lord! The Lord!The Lord! This is the centre ofour life, and this is the centreof our joy. Think carefully to-day: how do I behave? Am I ajoyful person who knows howto transmit the joy of beingChristian, or am I always likethose glum people, as I saidbefore, who seem to be at a fu-neral wake? If I do not havethe joy of my faith, I cannot

b earand others will say: “But if

faith is so sad, it is better notto have it”.

By praying the An g e l u s n o w,we see all of this fully realizedin the Virgin Mary: she silent-ly awaited God’s Word of sal-vation; she welcomed it; shelistened to it; she conceived it.In her, God became close. Thisis why the Church calls Marya “Cause of our joy”.

After the Angelus, the Holy Fathercontinued:

Dear brothers and sisters, Igreet you all, people of Romeand pilgrims.

In a special way I greet thegroup that has come as repre-sentatives of the families andchildren of Rome, for the oc-casion of the blessing of the“Baby Jesus” figurines, anevent organized by the CentroOratori Romani. This yearfew of you are here due to thepandemic, but I know that

many children and youngpeople have gathered in theyouth centres and in theirhomes and are following usvia means of communication.I offer my greeting to every-one and I bless the statuettesof Jesus, which will be placedin the Nativity scene, a sign ofhope and joy. In silence, let usbless the Baby Jesus figurines:In the name of the Father and of theSon and of the Holy Spirit. Whenyou pray at home, before theNativity scene with your fami-lies, allow yourselves to bedrawn by the tenderness of BabyJesus, born poor and frailamong us, in order to give ushis love.

I wish everyone a happySunday. Do not forget joy!Christians are joyful at heart,even in trials. They are joyfulbecause they are close to Je-sus: it is he who gives us joy.And, please, do not forget topray for me. Enjoy yourlunch. Ar r i v e d e rc i !

Video message of the Holy Father for the High Level Virtual Climate Ambition Summit 2020

Zero emissions in the Vatican by 2050“Vatican City State is committed to reducing net emissions tozero before 2050”, and “the Holy See is committed to promotingeducation in integral ecology”. Pope Francis affirmed this pledgein a video message through which, on Saturday, 12 December,he addressed the High Level Virtual Climate Ambition Summit2020 organized by Great Britain and France in partnershipwith Chile and Italy. The following is a translation of the Pon-tiff’s message, which he delivered in Spanish.

The current pandemic and climate change, whichhave not only environmental, but also ethical, so-cial, economic and political relevance, affect aboveall the life of the poorest and most fragile. In thisway they appeal to our responsibility to promote,through a collective and joint commitment, a cul-ture of care, which places human dignity and thecommon good at the centre.

Aside from adopting various measures that can-not be postponed any further, a strategy to reducenet emissions to zero (net zero emissions) is essen-tial.

The Holy See joins in this objective, acting ontwo levels:

1. On the one hand, Vatican City State is commit-ted to reducing net emissions to zero before 2050,intensifying its efforts in environmental manage-

ment, already underway for several years, whichmake possible the rational use of natural resourcessuch as water and energy, energy efficiency, sustain-able mobility, reforestation, and the circular econo-my also in waste management.

2. On the other, the Holy See is committed topromoting education in integral ecology. Politicaland technical measures must be connected to an ed-ucational process that favours a cultural model ofdevelopment and sustainability based on fraternityand the covenant between the human being and theenvironment. In this perspective, I inaugurated theGlobal Education Pact to accompany Catholicschools and universities, attended by more than 70million students on all the continents; and I havesupported “Economy of Francesco”, through whichyoung economists, businesspeople, and experts infinance and the world of work promote new path-ways to overcome energy poverty, which place carefor common goods at the centre of national and in-ternational politics, and which favour sustainableproduction also in low-income countries, sharingappropriate advanced technologies.

The moment has come for a change of direction.Let us not rob the new generations of their hope ina better future. Thank you.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning!The invitation to joy is charac-teristic of the season of Ad-vent: the expectation of Jesus’birth that we experience is joy-ful, somewhat like when weawait the visit of a person welove a great deal, for example,a friend whom we have notseen for a long time, a rela-tive.... We are in joyful antici-pation. And this dimension ofjoy emerges particularly today,the Third Sunday, whichopens with SaintPa u l ’s exhorta-tion: “Rejoice inthe Lord always”(Entrance An-tiphon; cf. Phil4:4, 5). “Rejoice!”:Christian joy. Andwhat is the reasonfor this joy? That“the Lord is athand” (v. 5). Thecloser the Lord isto us, the morejoy we feel; thefarther away he is,the more sadnesswe feel. This is arule for Chris-tians. A philoso-pher once saidsomething moreor less like this: “Ido not understand how onecan believe today, becausethose who say they believehave a face from a funeralwake. They do not bear wit-ness to the joy of the Resurrec-tion of Jesus Christ”. ManyChristians have that face, yes,a face from a funeral wake, aface of sadness.... But Christ isrisen! Christ loves you! And

you have no joy? Let us thinka bit about this and let us ask:“Do I have joy because theLord is close to me, becausethe Lord loves me, becausethe Lord has redeemed me?”.

The Gospel according toJohn today presents us thebiblical character who — ex-cluding Our Lady and SaintJoseph — first and most fullyexperienced the expectationof the Messiah and the joy of see-ing him arrive: naturally, we arespeaking of John the Baptist

(cf. Jn 1:6-8, 19-28).The Evangelist introduces

him in a solemn way: “T h e rewas a man sent from God....He came for testimony, tobear witness to the light” ( v v.6—7). The Baptist is the firstwitness to Jesus, with the wordand with the gift of his life. Allthe Gospels agree in showingthat he fulfilled his mission by

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOpage 8 Fr i d a y, 18-25 December 2020, number 51-52

We, the staff ofL’Osservatore Romanoweekly edition inEnglish, send ourwarmest holiday

greetings to all ourreaders throughout theworld, wishing you andyour loved ones a most

blessed and happyChristmas.

We offer a cordial reminder that this is the final issue of 2020; publication will resume on 1 January 2021. Happy New Year to all!

Inglese 1 (01 - Prima) - 18/12/2020 051_INGLInglese 2 (Gerenza_SX) - 18/12/2020 051_INGLInglese 3 (Destra) - 18/12/2020 051_INGLInglese 4-5 (Doppia centrale) - 18/12/2020 051_INGL (Left)�Ł®«d @/€O��¨Ú¢^��Ø«¿´3@/€O��¨Ú¢^��•’‹h��xôŽˇ��€‘‹h��¾˘†dþ�À���xôŽˇ���þÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ5ýłW€‘‹h��]èłW`|Zˇ��•|Zˇ��`|Zˇ��þÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿInglese 4-5 (Doppia centrale) - 18/12/2020 051_INGL (Right)Á^¥¶$BÄzŸWà´ÿ[��€‘‹h��¸«¿´3¼«¿´3ÀB�»£ ©WÀB�€�*i��»�ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿþÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÀC�•À¦Wðø˘��`ËÙW˘õ«���»ÀC�L˙†dþ�Inglese 6 (Sinistra) - 18/12/2020 051_INGLInglese 7 (Destra) - 18/12/2020 051_INGLInglese 8 (Ultima_colore) - 18/12/2020 051_INGL