The "logic of mercy" should counter that of a "throwaway" culture. Ecological awareness should be raised and the value of life defended at a time of new possibilities offered by the development of biomedical sciences.
The story of John the Baptist, the precursor of Jesus, the one who said "Not I, this is" the Messiah. "He revealed him to the first disciples and then his light went out little by little, to the dark of that cell, in the prison, where, alone, he was beheaded". He died there in the cell, in anonymity, "like so many of our martyrs".
"We all need to be healed, because we all have spiritual diseases, all of us. But also we all have the opportunity to heal others, but only with this attitude. May the Lord give us this grace".
A statement by the director of Vatican Press Office confirms Francis’ availability.
At the general audience, Francis retraces his recent journey. In the Document on Human Fraternity, "together we affirm the common vocation of all men and women to be brothers and sisters as sons and daughters of God, condemn all forms of violence, especially those with religious motivation, and we commit ourselves to spreading authentic values and peace in the world ".
The criticism: "just words"; it "has a theosophical foundation". In reality, the document traces the path for cooperation in all fields: for the rebirth of the religious dimension to counter nihilistic materialism; for the defense of life from its beginning to its natural end; for the education of young people. The basis for affirming freedom of conscience, full citizenship for Christians in Islamic countries; the dignity of women. Some similarities with Benedict XVI's Regensburg address, falsely interpreted as "contrary to Islam".
The Mass in Zayed Sports City of Abu Dhabi in front of 120 thousand people, Catholics of different nationalities and rites. The Beatitudes, the ideal model of "normal" Christian life, in reality a "overturning of popular thinking", according to which the blessed are the rich, the powerful, the successful.
The historic document promotes "world peace and living together", dialogue and identity whilst rejecting violence and terrorism. Religion should not include any compulsion. The document calls for the promotion of the status of woman and respect for nature.
In his address to the interfaith meeting in Abu Dhabi, Francis said that religions must oppose violence and war. Education and justice are "the wings" of peace. Human fraternity and the right of citizenship, i.e. equality between citizens, can ensure religious freedom.
Francis visits the presidential palace. It is the first trip of a Pope to the United Arab Emirates and, more generally, to the Arabian peninsula. Gisotti: "an important opportunity to promote and strengthen interreligious dialogue".
In an interview with the Osservatore Romano, the Prefect of Propaganda Fide expresses closeness to the underground communities, reaffirming the urgency of reconciliation and evangelization of Chinese society. Card. Filoni states that belonging to the Patriotic Association is not obligatory even according to Chinese law. Proclamation is curbed by "lack of real freedom" and "temptations of comfort" in China.
At the Angelus, Pope Francis calls for "powerful prayer," because "they are the children who are hungry, thirsty, are in danger of death". "The cry of these children and their parents rises to God". "Authentic prophecy is required to pay" a price that is "fatigue, rejection, persecution and defeat", as Jesus of Nazareth. Best wishes for the Lunar New Year to the peoples of the Far East. The Day for Life, to "promote births". The message of the peace of young people of Catholic Action and the launch of balloons.
On the day of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, Francis affirms that when it blooms, consecrated life is a call "to counter mediocrity: to counter a devaluation of our spiritual life, to counter the temptation to reduce God’s importance, to counter an accommodation to a comfortable and worldly life, to counter complaints – complaints! – dissatisfaction and self-pity, to counter a mentality of resignation and “we have always done it this way”: this is not God’s way".
Receiving the international mixed commission for the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Francis notes that "between the East and the West" the various theological formulas often complement rather than oppose eachother", as the Council declared.
