Pope Benedict's 'State of the World' address

[Holly3278]

Jan. 8, 2009 (CWNews.com) - In this annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps-- an address that functions as a papal “State of the World” speech-- Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) returned to the theme of his message for the World Day of Peace, saying that world poverty is a threat to peace and security.

“To build peace, we need to give new hope to the poor,” the Holy Father told the assembled envoys. In a speech that included a quick glance at the past year and a tour of the world’s trouble spots, the Pope also took time to decry anti-Christian violence and the tendency of some modern secular states to resist any public manifestation of religious faith. In his comments on current crises the Pope laid particular stress on the need for a quick end to the fighting in Gaza.

The full text of the Pope’s January 8 speech is available on the Vatican web site.

catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=60271

I agree fully with our beloved Pope Benedict XVI on everything that he has said in this “State of the World Address”! Material and spiritual poverty definitely need to be dealt with if there is ever going to be true and lasting peace. How we end the problems of material and spiritual poverty is another story entirely I think.