Pope John Paul II turned his thoughts to victims of the Asian tsunami disaster in his New Year's prayers as the death toll edged towards 126,000
Published:
2 January 2005 y., Sunday
Pope John Paul II turned his thoughts to victims of the Asian tsunami disaster in his New Year's prayers as the death toll edged towards 126,000, and urged the world to strive towards peace through dialogue, justice and forgiveness.
The 84-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church addressed a special greeting to ambassadors of countries hit by the "terrible calamity" last Sunday in a sermon he read in its entirety at St Peter's Basilica.
"I assure them of my prayers for the victims of the catastrophe and for their families and I take note with satisfaction of the movement of solidarity which is developing everywhere in the world," he added.
"This sort of human solidarity, along with the grace of God, gives hope for better days to come in the year that begins today," he said.
A Vatican spokesman said the pontiff started off 2005 by celebrating mass in his private chapel at midnight for victims of the disaster that struck six days ago.
The pope, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease but was in relatively good form, said World Peace Day Saturday was "an invitation to Christians and to all men to reaffirm their wish to build peace".
Šaltinis:
nst.com.my
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The fate of blue fin tuna hangs in the balance this week as a complete ban on the trade is debated by MEPs.
more »
A $100 million pledge from the Government of Japan has helped to secure the funding base and launch the operational phase of two new climate programs supporting forest management and renewable energy investments in developing countries.
more »
Europeans quite happy with their personal situation, but less satisfied with economic and social climate in their country.
more »
Spain wishes to “make as much progress as possible” to ensure the EU becomes party to the Council of Europe's Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms soon, according to the Spanish Minister for Justice, Francisco Caamaño, at today's opening of a seminar on the challenges and possibilities arising from the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force.
more »
According to Belarusian tradition, a stork brings good fortune to the village it settles in while in western culture the stork is commonly associated with childbirth.
more »
The World Bank Board of Directors today approved an additional financing credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of US $20 million for the Social Investment Fund II Project.
more »
The Spanish Health and Social Policy Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, and the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, addressed the press in Madrid on the launch of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010.
more »
The European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU will tomorrow launch the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
more »
Smoking at a restaurant like this one in Spain could soon be a thing of the past. Spanish lawmakers want to stub out the habit in public places like bars and restaurants. But it's an unpopular proposal in a country where around 30 percent of the population smoke.
more »
As President of the European Economic and Social Committee, I would like, on behalf of all the Committee's members, to express my sympathy to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
more »