The diplomatic representations of various countries stationed at the Holy See and the Pope celebrate a cult for the Chinese New Year as usual. In his speech, the head of the diplomatic mission, Prideus, recalled the death of Benedict XVI and reviewed Pope Francis’ commitment over the last year, as well as his forthcoming pastoral visits and pilgrimages to the Congo and his trip to South Sudan.
(Vatican News Network)At the gathering of diplomatic missions of various countries to the Holy See and the Pope’s New Year’s gathering, Georges Poulides, head of diplomatic missions and ambassador of Cyprus to the Holy See, was the first to represent the countries on behalf of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI , express condolences to Pope Francis. Then, Ambassador Prides turned his attention to the current situation and talked about another horrific virus that emerged after the new corona virus, namely war.
The head of the diplomatic corps recalled Pope Francis’ speech last year at the Interfaith Meeting for Peace of the Community of Sant’Egidio at the Colosseum in central Rome, as well as the pope’s prayer on December 8 for the feast of the ‘Immaculate Conception. According to the head of mission, every word of the pope reveals “the suffering of the world affected by the tragedy of the conflict”. How many parents have lost their children, how many young people have been orphaned, their homes have been destroyed and people have fled. The ambassadors to the Holy See have taken encouraging actions to “resolve the root causes of conflicts” and not destroy “the good that exists in every society”.
The ambassador of Cyprus to the Holy See points out that Pope Francis has worked hard in the last year to “remove the fuel from the fire of disaster and indifference”. The ambassador thanked the pope for his example and assured that the challenges he articulated in this year’s World Day of Peace Message were also heard in the diplomatic arena.
The diplomat then reflected on the pastoral visit of Pope Francis in 2022: in Malta the pope reiterated that everyone has the great responsibility to “build a more united and harmonious society”; in Canada the pope made a “confession The pilgrimage of the pilgrimage”, “on the path of” healing and reconciliation “with indigenous peoples”; the Pope participated in the World Conference of Religious Leaders in Kazakhstan to promote dialogue, listening and understanding between the different religions; the Pope’s visit to Bahrain Access, once again guide people to appreciate what they have in common with each other while maintaining their uniqueness and differences. The ambassador quoted the Pope’s words, emphasizing that unity does not require “everyone is exactly the same”, but that each one has its own characteristics.
Looking ahead to this new year, the head of the diplomatic corps referred to the Pope’s forthcoming “pilgrimage of peace and reconciliation” in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Ambassador Prideus concluded by thanking the Pope for his “tireless effort” which has brought hope to so many peoples, men and women around the world.
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