Year: 2020

Pope’s Message for 53rd World Day of Peace – January 1st (Full Text)

‘The grace of God our Father is bestowed as unconditional love’

January 01, 2020

Here is the text of Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Peace, which is celebrated today, January 1, 2020, on the theme: “Peace as a Journey of Hope: Dialogue, Reconciliation and Ecological Conversion.”

The text was presented Dec.12, 2019, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the Holy See Press Office. Here is Pope Francis’ message for peace:

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1. Peace, a journey of hope in the face of obstacles and trial

Peace is a great and precious value, the object of our hope and the aspiration of the entire human family. As a human attitude, our hope for peace is marked by an existential tension that makes it possible for the present, with all its difficulties, to be “lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey”.[1] Hope is thus the virtue that inspires us and keeps us moving forward, even when obstacles seem insurmountable.

Our human community bears, in its memory and its flesh, the scars of ever more devastating wars and conflicts that affect especially the poor and the vulnerable. Entire nations find it difficult to break free of the chains of exploitation and corruption that fuel hatred and violence. Even today, dignity, physical integrity, freedom, including religious freedom, communal solidarity and hope in the future are denied to great numbers of men and women, young and old. Many are the innocent victims of painful humiliation and exclusion, sorrow and injustice, to say nothing of the trauma born of systematic attacks on their people and their loved ones.

The terrible trials of internal and international conflicts, often aggravated by ruthless acts of violence, have an enduring effect on the body and soul of humanity. Every war is a form of fratricide that destroys the human family’s innate vocation to brotherhood.

War, as we know, often begins with the inability to accept the diversity of others, which then fosters attitudes of aggrandizement and domination born of selfishness and pride, hatred and the desire to caricature, exclude and even destroy the other. War is fueled by a perversion of relationships, by hegemonic ambitions, by abuses of power, by fear of others and by seeing diversity as an obstacle. And these, in turn, are aggravated by the experience of war.

As I observed during my recent Apostolic Journey to Japan, our world is paradoxically marked by “a perverse dichotomy that tries to defend and ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust, one that ends up poisoning relationships between peoples and obstructing any form of dialogue. Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation. They can be achieved only on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family of today and tomorrow”.[2]

Every threatening situation feeds mistrust and leads people to withdraw into their own safety zone. Mistrust and fear weaken relationships and increase the risk of violence, creating a vicious circle that can never lead to a relationship of peace. Even nuclear deterrence can only produce the illusion of security.

We cannot claim to maintain stability in the world through the fear of annihilation, in a volatile situation, suspended on the brink of a nuclear abyss and enclosed behind walls of indifference. As a result, social and economic decisions are being made that lead to tragic situations where human beings and creation itself are discarded rather than protected and preserved.[3] How, then, do we undertake a journey of peace and mutual respect? How do we break the unhealthy mentality of threats and fear? How do we break the current dynamic of distrust?

We need to pursue a genuine fraternity based on our common origin from God and exercised in dialogue and mutual trust. The desire for peace lies deep within the human heart, and we should not resign ourselves to seeking anything less than this.

2. Peace, a journey of listening based on memory, solidarity and fraternity

The Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are among those who currently keep alive the flame of collective conscience, bearing witness to succeeding generations to the horror of what happened in August 1945 and the unspeakable sufferings that have continued to the present time. Their testimony awakens and preserves the memory of the victims, so that the conscience of humanity may rise up in the face of every desire for dominance and destruction. “We cannot allow present and future generations to lose the memory of what happened here. It is a memory that ensures and encourages the building of a more fair and fraternal future”.[4]

Like the Hibakusha, many people in today’s world are working to ensure that future generations will preserve the memory of past events, not only in order to prevent the same errors or illusions from recurring, but also to enable memory, as the fruit of experience, to serve as the basis and inspiration for present and future decisions to promote peace.

What is more, memory is the horizon of hope. Many times, in the darkness of wars and conflicts, the remembrance of even a small gesture of solidarity received can lead to courageous and even heroic decisions. It can unleash new energies and kindle new hope in individuals and communities.

Setting out on a journey of peace is a challenge made all the more complex because the interests at stake in relationships between people, communities and nations, are numerous and conflicting. We must first appeal to people’s moral conscience and to personal and political will. Peace emerges from the depths of the human heart and political will must always be renewed, so that new ways can be found to reconcile and unite individuals and communities.

The world does not need empty words but convinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects exclusion or manipulation. In fact, we cannot truly achieve peace without a convinced dialogue between men and women who seek the truth beyond ideologies and differing opinions. Peace “must be built up continually”;[5] it is a journey made together in constant pursuit of the common good, truthfulness and respect for law. Listening to one another can lead to mutual understanding and esteem, and even to seeing in an enemy the face of a brother or sister.

The peace process thus requires enduring commitment. It is a patient effort to seek truth and justice, to honour the memory of victims and to open the way, step by step, to a shared hope stronger than the desire for vengeance. In a state based on law, democracy can be an important paradigm of this process, provided it is grounded in justice and a commitment to protect the rights of every person, especially the weak and marginalized, in a constant search for truth.[6] This is a social undertaking, an ongoing work in which each individual makes his or her contribution responsibly, at every level of the local, national and global community.

As Saint Paul VI pointed out, these “two aspirations, to equality and to participation, seek to promote a democratic society… This calls for an education to social life, involving not only the knowledge of each person’s rights, but also its necessary correlative: the recognition of his or her duties with regard to others. The sense and practice of duty are themselves conditioned by the capacity for self-mastery and by the acceptance of responsibility and of the limits placed upon the freedom of individuals or the groups”.[7]

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LICAS.News
Ronald O. Reyes, Philippines
January 6, 2020

A typhoon survivor in the central Philippines has turned herself into a “climate warrior” after losing her parents and most of her family members to disasters in recent years.

Joanna Sustento, 28, said her climate advocacy is what matters to her now.

She’s worried that even her dream of one day having her own family will be taken away “by the same monster that took away my family.”

“I cannot allow my future family, my nieces, nephews, and godchildren to experience what I’ve been through,” she told LiCAS.News.

The climate campaigner for environment group Greenpeace said fossil fuel industries are to blame for the climate crisis “because (they) did not give us an alternative.”

She said going after “big polluters” is a way of calling out to them “to own up to their responsibility for the climate crisis.”

“They knew of the catastrophic impacts, but they decided to discredit the science and deceive the world because of profit at the expense of the people and the planet,” she said.

In a “perfect world,” Sustento said she would “probably spend days on the beach and bury my face in books, sleep or play with my nephews, nieces and godchildren.”

She was 22 years old when Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the central Philippines, leaving about 7,000 people, including Sustento’s loved ones, dead and thousands of others missing.

“If Haiyan did not happen, I would have been managing my own business, maybe a restaurant,” she said. “That’s how simple my dream was,” said added.

Her dreams were torn apart with the death of her parents. A 3-year-old nephew, Tarin, remains missing.

“Tarin would have been nine years old by now if not for the storm that snatched him away from the arms of his mother,” said Sustento.

More than six years after that tragedy in November 2013, the people of Tacloban and the province of Leyte in the central Philippines continue to demand justice.

“I can no longer remain silent if it is already the lives and livelihood of people in my community being sacrificed for corporate profits,” she said.

In her advocacy, the young lady said she found “a stronger version” of herself, support, and strength.

“I may have lost my family to the storm, but I am not losing to this climate crisis,” she wrote in a letter to Shell Philippines, one of the big oil companies in the country.

From her pioneering protest ride on an oil rig in Norway’s Arctic sea in 2017 to her lone and silent protests in front of offices of oil companies in Manila, Sustento persevered.

“The story of Haiyan speaks not just for Tacloban, it speaks for the other climate-impacted communities globally,” she said.

‘David vs Goliath’

More than six years after Haiyan, full rehabilitation of devastated communities in the central Philippines remains wanting.

“I move forward with the intention of pursuing a purpose that is bigger than myself,” said Sustento.

As discussions on climate crisis heat up following a call last year from 16-year old Swedish girl Greta Thunberg, Sustento said it is “interesting” that climate issues are being discussed by young people.

“It’s ‘David and Goliath,’” she said. “It’s to prove that even if we do things alone, we can spark inspiration for other people to follow.”

Ronan Renz Napoto, another young climate advocate from the city of Tacloban, said more young people now are becoming aware of climate change issues.

He said youth-led climate actions “clearly send a message to everyone that it is a serious threat that everyone should care about.”

“When kids are out there taking their stand, demanding for actions, we know something is wrong,” he said, adding that young people “are here to do what adults should have done before.”

The 21-year-old lead convenor of Youth Strike for Climate Philippines in Tacloban said the crisis “excuses no one.”

“Our next generation will suffer more if we don’t act now,” he said. “This is our future that we are talking about.”

“It is our time to fight for our future because the adults have failed to do this, and we can’t keep on relying from their inaction and silence,” he said.

Like Sustento, Napoto is postponing his personal plans for his advocacy.

“This is very personal,” he said, adding that people in the central Philippines who were affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan “have felt the worst impact of climate change.”

“Haiyan is more than enough reason to make this fight personal,” said Napoto who recently received his diploma in Industrial Engineering at a local university.

But the young man said he is giving more time for his advocacy works and volunteer activities.

In the city of Tacloban, Napoto and his group are demanding from the government stronger climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction and management policies.

They are also calling for the immediate phaseout of coal and other fossil fuels and a transition to the use of renewable energy.

In a message to the U.N. Climate Action Summit last year, Pope Francis called on people around to world “to cultivate three great moral qualities: honesty, responsibility and courage.”

“While the situation is not good, and the planet is suffering, the window of opportunity is still open,” said the pontiff.

Responding to the pope’s call, Napoto said he will continue to take responsibility and to raise the environment’s voice in his own little way.

As another year starts, Sustento and Napoto vowed to persist as “climate warriors” no matter how long and arduous the battle ahead.

Mark Saludes, Philippines
LICAS.NEWS
January 2, 2020

A survey conducted at the end of 2019 revealed that despite difficulties they have encountered Filipinos continue to remain hopeful about the future.

Results of a survey done by independent pollster Social Weather Stations showed that 96 percent of respondents are “entering 2020 with hopes rather than with fears.”

“Hope gives me the energy to move on and pursue my dreams for my community,” said Lodema dela Cruz Doroteo, a teacher, when asked about the survey results.

Doroteo belongs to the Dumagat tribe in Tanay town, north of Manila. She is the first to finish college from her poor community.

When she finished her education in 2016, she went back to her tribe and established a school for tribal children.

“We started with nothing,” she said, adding that she used charcoal, stones, and bamboo as writing materials.

She used the power of social media to gather support for the community school. People from the city responded and provided help.

Fear, however, recently enveloped Doroteo’s village when an armed clash erupted between government security forces and communist guerrillas.

When the military operations began, teachers and pupils were prevented from going to school. People were also prohibited to enter the forest.

Doroteo set aside fear and clung to her belief that “only education will give my people the courage to speak out for their rights.”

She continues to open the school despite the threats. She recounted an incident when soldiers accused the teachers of teaching the children how to use guns.

Rebuilding hope to battle fear

In the southern Philippines, an activist group said “hope and space” for tribal education are “diminishing” because of continuous attacks on tribal schools and communities.

“Fear is all over the place,” said Rius Valle, spokesman of the group Save Our Schools Network.

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Marielle Lucenio, Philippines
LICAS.NEWS
January 2, 2020

Devotees of the Black Nazarene crowded outside the church of Manila’s old Quiapo district on the last day of the year to mark the start of an annual feast that usually attracts millions of people.

An estimated 64,000 crowd joined the thanksgiving procession for the Black Nazarene midnight of Dec. 31.

Philippine authorities said this year’s procession was record-breaking because it was over in only one hour and 40 minutes, compared to previous years when it took more than four hours.

“The longer the time that we spend in the procession, the more it is susceptible to crime, susceptible to threats,” said police Brigadier General Debold Sinas, head of the capital’s police office.

Monsignor Hernando Coronel, rector of Quiapo church, said this year, the image of Jesus carrying a cross was placed on a carroza, or float, instead of on a platform called andas, which was used to be pulled by the faithful during the procession.

“There were no banners, no unruly mob that used to climb the andas,” he noted.

The priest described this year’s procession as “the most solemn and orderly,” adding that even those who followed the event on social media noticed the behavior of the crowd.

This year’s thanksgiving procession also saw changes with devotees following the carroza of the Nazarene. “Everyone had candles and prayed the rosary,” said Monsignor Coronel.

Authorities said the same security arrangement will be implemented during the traslacion procession, or the transfer of the image during actual feast on Jan. 9.

Attending Catholics said their faith continues to be strong despite their failure to touch the image of the Black Nazarene during the thanksgiving procession.

“It is not necessary to touch or to get near the Black Nazarene,” said Elmer, 51, a devotee since he was 15 years old. “I have always believed that he’s just there, anytime I can go to him,” he said.

JR Aquino, 32, said that although some people were disappointed because they failed to touch the image of Jesus, “I don’t mind because I’m here to just give thanks to the Nazarene for everything.

“I still won’t be separated with the Nazarene because he gave me the strength to still be devoted to him, to worship him,” said Romy, a devotee since 1953.

The thanksgiving procession on the last day of the year is held annually ahead of the big religious procession every Jan. 9.

Traslacion, which means transfer, is often referred to as the Feast of the Black Nazarene. It emulates the “solemn transfer” of the image from its original shrine in the old Manila to the Minor Basilica in Quiapo in 1787.

The Black Nazarene is a life-size image of a dark-skinned, kneeling Jesus Christ carrying the cross.

Every year, on Jan. 9, millions of devotees join a procession to re-enact the 1787 transfer. The annual religious event is the largest procession in the country, drawing millions of devotees thronging to touch the icon and lasting 20 hours at the most.

LICAS News reporter, Philippines
December 27, 2019

Pope Francis prayed for victims of Typhoon Phanfone that left at least 28 people dead and thousands of others homeless in the central Philippines on Christmas Day.

“I join in the pain that affected the dear people of the Philippines because of the typhoon Phanfone,” said the pontiff during his weekly Angelus prayer.

The pope then invited those gathered at St. Peter’s Square to pray a Hail Mary for the Filipino people, “whom I love so much.”

“I pray for the numerous victims, for the injured. and for their families,” he said.

In 2015, Pope Francis visited the Philippines to meet with victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the central part of the country.

Most of those who died in the latest disaster came from the province of Iloilo where six members of a family were found dead after being swept away by floodwaters.

Typhoon Phanfone made landfall in the central Philippines on Christmas Eve, causing damage to buildings and destroying houses on its path.

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By the Movement Against Tyranny
December 27, 2019

In the spirit of the season, the Movement Against Tyranny appeals to all concerned parties and the Filipino people to earnestly work for the resumption of the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippine (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

We see the possible resumption of the talks as a silver lining in a year that has seen a worsening state of tyranny and human rights violations committed against persons and communities critical of the government, especially those accused of being fronts or having sympathies with the NDFP.

Instead of publicly vilifying and killing suspected rebels and their alleged sympathizers ala Oplan Tokhang, or pining for a military junta in the guise of a revolutionary government, it would be much more productive for the Duterte regime to just sit down with the NDFP to discuss how to work together to end the roots of the armed conflict, including how to uphold human rights and achieve much needed social, economic and political reforms.

We appeal on both sides to respect the temporary ceasefire until January 7 as a confidence building measure towards the resumption of the talks. Initial snags should not be used to derail the bigger objective of bringing both sides to the negotiating table.

To the hawks, militarists, peace spoilers and those profiting from war, including the billions on intelligence funds and political largesse disguised as rebel reintegration programs, we say enough. It is time to give peace a chance.

Our people will certainly appreciate and support efforts by both sides to arrive at a just and meaningful resolution of the armed conflict. The whole nation awaits with hope for that time when everyone can work together to end tyranny and achieve a just and lasting peace in our land.#