John Paul II gives his annual address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Pope sets four challenges for mankind in 2005: the defence of life in all its stages, including the embryo and the family; food for "all [the world's] inhabitants"; peace, "supreme good and the condition for attaining many other essential goods"; and "freedom", in particular religious freedom.  John Paul II indicated these challenges in his annual speech to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, the occasion he traditionally takes each year for reviewing the state of the world.  And though, this year, the Pope did not explicitly refer to instances were rights are being violated or compromised, they can nevertheless be inferred from what he describes.

In the last year, the world has experienced tragedies that have caused the Pope great "anguish and distress": natural calamities, such as the "enormous catastrophe which on 26 December struck different countries of Southeast Asia and as far as the coasts of East Africa."  "Other tragedies also cast a shadow on 2004, like the acts of barbarous terrorism which caused bloodshed in Iraq and other countries of the world, the savage attack in Madrid, the terrorist massacre in Beslan, the inhuman acts of violence inflicted on the people of Darfur, the atrocities perpetrated in the Great Lakes region of Africa."

The Pope recalled the theme of his message for this year's World Day of Peace: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good", and "addressed" it to the members of the diplomatic corps, and through them, to their respective peoples and governments, since that message "also has a specific application to international relations, and can be a guide to all in meeting the great challenges facing humanity today."

The challenge of life and family

Among these, the first, in the words of John Paul II, is the "challenge to life", which "has grown in scale and urgency in recent years. It has involved particularly the beginning of human life, when human beings are at their weakest and most in need of protection. Conflicting views have been put forward regarding abortion, assisted procreation, the use of human embryonic stem cells for scientific research, and cloning. The Church's position, supported by reason and science, is clear: the human embryo is a subject identical to the human being which will be born at the term of its development. Consequently whatever violates the integrity and the dignity of the embryo is ethically inadmissible. Similarly, any form of scientific research which treats the embryo merely as a laboratory specimen is unworthy of man."  The "challenge of life" also affects the family which today "is often threatened by social and cultural pressures which tend to undermine its stability; but in some countries the family is also threatened by legislation which – at times directly – challenge its natural structure, which is and must necessarily be that of a union between a man and a woman founded on marriage."

The challenge of food

Next is the "challenge of food".  The world "possesses a sufficient quantity and variety of food for all its inhabitants, now and in the future", yet statistics on world hunger are "dramatic: hundreds of millions of human beings are suffering from grave malnutrition, and each year millions of children die of hunger or its effects… An adequate response to this need, which is growing in scale and urgency, calls for a vast moral mobilization of public opinion; the same applies all the more to political leaders, especially in those countries enjoying a sufficient or even prosperous standard of living."  The Pope recalled in this regard "an important principle of the Church's social teaching": that of "the principle of the universal destination of the earth's goods", which "should serve to advance a radical commitment to justice and a more attentive and determined display of solidarity. This is the good which can overcome the evil of hunger and unjust poverty."

The challenge of peace

There is then "the challenge of peace.  As a supreme good and the condition for attaining many other essential goods, peace is the dream of every generation."  Yet the world continues to experience war and conflict: "Our thoughts naturally turn to different countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where recourse to arms and violence has not only led to incalculable material damage, but also fomented hatred and increased the causes of tension, thereby adding to the difficulty of finding and implementing solutions capable of reconciling the legitimate interests of all the parties involved. In addition to these tragic evils there is the brutal, inhuman phenomenon of terrorism, a scourge which has taken on a global dimension unknown to previous generations." "The arrogance of power must be countered with reason, force with dialogue, pointed weapons with outstretched hands, evil with good.  Many indeed are the men and women who are working towards this goal with courage and perseverance, and there are some encouraging signs that the great challenge of building peace can be met. In Africa, for instance, despite serious relapses into disagreements which appeared to have been resolved, there is a growing common will to resolve and prevent conflicts through a fuller cooperation between the great international organizations and continental groupings, like the African Union."  Also in the Middle East, "armed confrontation appears to be decreasing, with the hope of a political breakthrough in the direction of dialogue and negotiation."  However, "bringing about an authentic and lasting peace in this violence-filled world calls for a power of peace that does not shrink before difficulties. It is a power that human beings on their own cannot obtain or preserve: it is a gift from God. Christ came to bring this gift to mankind."

The challenge of religious freedom

Lastly, there is the "challenge of freedom".  It "is a great good, because only by freedom can human beings find fulfilment in a manner befitting their nature. Freedom is like light: it enables one to choose responsibly his proper goals and the right means of achieving them. At the very heart of human freedom is the right to religious freedom, since it deals with man's most fundamental relationship: his relationship with God."  However, "in many States, freedom of religion is a right which is not yet sufficiently or adequately recognized. Yet the yearning for freedom of religion cannot be suppressed: as long as human beings are alive, it will always be present and pressing."  "There need be no fear that legitimate religious freedom would limit other freedoms or be injurious to the life of civil society. On the contrary: together with religious freedom, all other freedoms develop and thrive, inasmuch as freedom is an indivisible good, the prerogative of the human person and his dignity. Neither should there be a fear that religious freedom, once granted to the Catholic Church, would intrude upon the realm of political freedom and the competencies proper to the State: the Church is able carefully to distinguish, as she must, what belongs to Caesar from what belongs to God (cf. Mt 22:21). She actively cooperates in promoting the common good of society, inasmuch as she repudiates falsehood and educates to truth, she condemns hatred and contempt, and she calls for a spirit of brotherhood; always and everywhere she encourages – as history clearly shows – works of charity, science and the arts. She asks only for freedom, so that she can effectively cooperate with all public and private institutions concerned with the good of mankind. True freedom always aims at overcoming evil with good." (FP)

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