Peace - Jul 22, 2006

Dear Friends,

In this time of bloodshed in the Middle East the Holy Father has called for all Christians and all people to unite in prayers for peace. The Holy Father in this call re-emphasizes the power of prayer, which today so many have forgotten or do not believe in.

Sadly today many see force of arms, the killing of others and the inflicting of violence upon others as the way to achieve peace. How foolish this is for true peace will not come from these ways. To support these ways is to support what goes against the teachings of Our Lord and Saviour, The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. As Catholics, as Christians we should be embracing only the ways of Christ and not the ways of the world or the ways of other faiths. As Christians we are meant to be emissaries of peace in the world. Talking of and showing peace in all situations, so as to bring the peace of Christ into the world through our faith. Our support in all situations should be the support of peace and the rejection of violence, not the support of one or another cause or nation that embraces violence. When a true Christian sees others suffering their hearts should be yearning for that suffering to cease, not making excuses to justify it continuing. A true Christian would not see one race of peoples lives as less valuable than others but they would recognize in all the wonderful gift of God's creative love and would see all lives as equal in value.

In many countries today Christians have forgotten or been blinded to what it is to be a Christian and in this blindness no longer follow the peaceful ways of Christ, Our Lord, but instead follow the warlike ways of the world. If this were not so then the nations would be filled with Christian voices calling out for this bloodshed to end but sadly there is a great silence instead.

Let our prayers be for peace in the Middle East and that all Christians can make their whole lives living prayers of peace for the whole world.

May God's peace be with you,

Alan Ames

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Code: ZE06073001 Date: 2006-07-30 Appeal for Mideast Peace "So That They Immediately Put Down Their Weapons" CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 30, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the prepared text of the address Benedict XVI gave today before reciting the midday Angelus with the people who gathered at the summer papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters! Two days ago, my stay in the Aosta Valley finished, I came directly here to Castel Gandolfo, where I intend to remain until the end of the summer, with a brief interruption in September for the apostolic visit to Bavaria. I wish, first of all, to address my affectionate greetings to the ecclesial and civil community of this beautiful town, where I am always happy to come to. I cordially thank the bishop of Albano, the parish and the priests, as well as the mayor and municipal administration and the other civil authorities. A special thought goes to the directorate and personnel of the pontifical villa, as well as to the police, whom I thank for their valuable service. Moreover, I greet the many pilgrims who, with their warm presence, contribute to making evident, also in the homier atmosphere of this summer residence, the universal ecclesial dimension of this, our appointment for the Marian prayer. In this moment I cannot help think of the situation, ever more grave and more tragic, that the Middle East is going through: hundreds of dead, many wounded, a huge number of the homeless and refugees; houses, towns and infrastructure destroyed; meanwhile, hatred and the desire for revenge grow in the hearts of many. These facts demonstrate clearly that you cannot re-establish justice, establish a new order and build authentic peace when you resort to instruments of violence. More than ever we see how prophetic and altogether realistic is the voice of the Church when, in the face of wars and conflicts of every kind, it points out the path of truth, justice, love and liberty (cf. encyclical "Pacem in Terris"). Humanity must also cross this path today to achieve the good desire for true peace. In the name of God, I appeal to all those responsible for this spiral of violence, so that they immediately put down their weapons on all sides! I ask governing leaders and international organizations not to spare any effort to obtain this necessary halt to hostilities and so to be able to begin to build, through dialogue, a lasting and stable concord for all the people of the Middle East. I appeal to all people of good to continue and to intensify the shipment of humanitarian help to those populations so tested and needy. But especially [I ask that] every heart continue to raise the hopeful prayer to the good and merciful God, so that he grants his peace to that region and to the whole world. We entrust this sorrowful petition to the intercession of May, Mother of the Prince of Peace and Queen of Peace, so venerated in Mideast countries, where we hope to see soon reign this reconciliation for which the Lord Jesus has offered his precious Blood. [Translation of the Italian by ZENIT] [After the Angelus the Pope spoke in a number of languages. In English he said:] I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Sunday Angelus, especially the group of young people of the Regnum Christi Movement. In today's Gospel we see Jesus feeding the hungry multitudes. With the same generous love he continues to offer us daily the Bread of Life. May the Eucharist sustain us always in our love of God, and open our hearts to our neighbors, especially to those in need! I wish you all a blessed Sunday! [In Italian he said:] I greet with affection the Italian-language pilgrims, recalling that in the coming days we will mark the memorials of some great saints: tomorrow, St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits; on Aug. 2, St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists; on Aug. 4, St. John Mary Vianney, the curé of Ars, patron of parishes. The example and the intercession of these luminous witnesses help us to progress on the path of sanctity. [Italian original: © Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana]

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Pope ask Christians to mobilize against war [ 6 Aug, 2006 0600hrs ISTAP ] VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI has called on Christians and others touched by his words to mobilise against the widening warfare in the Middle East, saying no good comes out of war, not even for the victors. Benedict pressed his campaign for a rapid peaceful solution to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon during an interview with German media to be broadcast in Germany on August 13. The Vatican released the pope's answer to one of the questions, about the situation in the Middle East. "Naturally, the Holy See does not want any political power," Benedict replied, during the interview on Saturday morning in his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, a hill town outside Rome. "But we want to appeal to Christians and to all those who feel in some way touched by the words of the Holy See so that all the forces which recognise that war is the worst solution for everybody are mobilised," the pontiff said. War "doesn't bring any good for anybody, not even for the apparent victors," Benedict said. "We know that well in Europe, following two World Wars."