The Pope: Let the world listen to the cry of pain of the children
Vatican City (AsiaNews) The "cry of pain" that rises from Beslen and every part of the world was echoed by the Holy Father, who spoke of innocent children who are the "victims of the violence of adults" and are compelled to take up arms or to beg. The Holy Father spoke against the blind violence that is aimed at the most defenceless of creatures and strikes them in the very place that is meant to teach them the values that give a sense to history and to culture. Taking his inspiration from the Feast of the Birth of Mary, during the general audience for the faithful, Pope John Paul II dedicated his entire discourse to children who are the victims of violence. At the conclusion, he prayed for "justice, peace, and solidarity in the world" and reminded his listeners of the two Italian volunteers that were kidnapped in Iraq.
These are the words of the Holy Father:
The liturgy today calls to mind the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Feast, which is very deeply felt in the piety of the faithful, draws us to admire the pure dawning of the Redemption. We contemplate a little baby who is like all the others, but at the same time she is the only one who is "blessed among woman" (Lk 1:42). Mary is the immaculate "daughter of Zion" who is destined to become the Mother of the Messiah.
Looking at the baby Mary, how can we fail to remember all those little harmless children of Beslen in Ossetia who were the victims of a barbaric kidnapping and were tragically slaughtered? They were inside a school, a place where the values are taught that give a sense to history, to culture and to civilization of peoples: mutual respect, solidarity, justice and peace. Within those walls, they instead experienced outrage, hatred and death, which are the evil consequences of a cruel fanaticism and an insane contempt for the human person.
Our gaze goes further in this moment to all those innocent babies who in every part of the world are the victims of violence by adults: there are children who are compelled to take up arms and are trained to hate and to kill; there are children who are brought to beg in the streets and are exploited for easy money; there are children who are mistreated and humiliated by the arrogance and abuse of power by adults; there are children who are simply left to themselves and are deprived of the warmth of a family and the hope of a future; there are children who die of hunger and children who are in killed in so many conflicts in various parts of the world.
There is a loud cry of pain from the babies who are offended in their dignity. This cannot, and should not, leave anyone indifferent.
Beloved brothers and sisters, before the crib of the baby Mary, let us renew our awareness of the duty we all have to protect and defend these fragile creatures and build for them a future of peace. Let us pray together that they obtain the basis for a peaceful and safe life.
At the end of the discourse of the Holy Father, the faithful in attendance were invited to pray for "justice, peace, and solidarity in the world."
Brothers and sisters, responding to the invitation of the Holy Father, let us raise up our prayer to God. Together we say: Lord hear us!
- For the children of Beslan who were snatched from life with brutal violence as they prepared to begin the school year, and also for their parents, relatives and friends who were slaughtered with them. May God in his goodness open for them the doors of his house, we pray.
- For the wounded, for the families of the victims, and for all the members of the community of Beslan, who with broken hearts are weeping at the death of their loved ones. May they be supported by the light of faith, comforted by the solidarity of so many people in the world and pardon those who have done them this evil, we pray.
- For all the children, who in every part of the world suffer and die because of the violence and the abuse perpetrated by adults. May the Lord grant them the comfort of his love and bend the hardness of heart of those who are the cause of their sufferings, we pray.
- For so many people who have been kidnapped in the suffering land of Iraq, and in particular for the two young Italian volunteers who were kidnapped yesterday in Baghdad. My they be treated with respect and restored quickly and unharmed to the affectionate embrace of their loved ones, we pray.
- For justice and peace in the world. May the Lord enlighten the minds of those who are enslaved by the evil suggestions of violence and open the hearts of all to dialogue and reconciliation to construct a future of hope and peace, we pray.
The Holy Father concluded the prayer in these words:
O God our Father, You have created us all so that we may live in communion with one another. Make us understand that every child is a richness of the human race and that violence towards others is a dead end that fails to lead to the future. We ask this through the intercession of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ Our Lord. He lives and reigns forever and ever.
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01/09/2005
