Pope welcomes 'spiritual and moral' reaction against terrorism

December 17, 2015

At a December 17 meeting with new ambassadors from Bahrain, Guinea, India, and Latvia, Pope Francis spoke out against a trend of thinking in which “man has taken the place of God and therefore has become in turn a victim of various forms of idolatry.”

Accepting the credentials of the new envoys, the Pope asked them to join in the struggle against “the globalization of indifference” that he had decried in his message for the World Day of Peace. He remarked that “indifference toward God, toward out neighbor, and toward the environment is interlinked.”

Looking back across the past year, the Pope said that it had been marked by brutal acts of terrorism. He noted, however, that this violence has been “provoking in more mature consciences a non-violent, spiritual and moral reaction.” He encouraged world leaders to support that reaction by “concrete gestures in favor of our bothers and sisters who suffer from a lack of labor, land, and lodging.”

 

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Further information:

• To new non-resident ambassadors: collaborate in promoting a culture of solidarity (VIS)
• Pope Francis’ address to four new Ambassadors (Vatican Radio)