VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI on Friday called for respect of all people without discrimination and the protection of children from war and violence as he celebrated the start of the new year.
Jan. 1 is also the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace, and the pontiff issued an appeal to all armed groups to “stop, reflect and abandon the way of violence,” even if it seems impossible.
“You will feel in your hearts the joy of peace, which you have perhaps long forgotten,” Benedict said during the Angelus prayer.
He said peace begins by recognizing that men are brothers, not rivals or enemies.
“Peace begins with a look of respect that recognizes in another man’s face a person, regardless of the color of his skin, nationality, language or religion,” he said during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The 82-year-old pope put children, especially those hurt by conflict or forced to leave their homes, at the heart of his call for peace.
In his comments, Benedict also renewed his call to protect the environment, saying that the degradation of man leads to the degradation of the planet.
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