Ħadd ma jista’ jibqa’ indifferenti quddiem il-forom ġodda ta’ skjavitù

F’Messaġġ għall-Jum Dinji tal-Migranti u r-Refuġjati li se jiġi ċelebrat fis-17 ta’ Jannar, 2016, Il-Papa Franġisku jemfasizza li “ħadd ma jista’ jippretendi li jibqa’ indifferenti quddiem il-forom ġodda ta’ skjavitù imposti minn organizzazzjonijiet kriminali li jixtru u jbiegħu rġiel, nisa u tfal bħala ħaddiema forzati fl-oqsma tal-kostruzzjoni, il-biedja, is-sajd u swieq oħrajn.” 

Il-Papa josserva: “Kemm minuri għadhom jiġu mġiegħlin jiġġieldu f’milizzji bħala tfal suldati! …

Pope Francis delivered an address to the Corps of Diplomats Accredited to the Holy See on Monday morning, during the course of his traditional exchange of New Year’s greetings with the diplomats at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Below, please find the full text of the official English translation of the Holy Father’s prepared remarks.

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS

Monday, 11 January 2016

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I offer you a cordial welcome to this annual gathering.  It allows me to offer you my best wishes for the New Year and to reflect with you on the state of our world, so loved and blessed by God, and yet fraught with so many ills.  I thank your new Dean, His Excellency Armindo Fernandes do Espírito Santo Veira, the Ambassador of Angola, for his kind greeting in the name of the entire Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See.  In a special way, I would also like to remember the late Ambassadors of Cuba, Rodney Alejandro López Clemente, and Liberia, Rudolf P…

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• Pope Francis made a private visit to the Italian hilltown of Greccio in the Lazio region north of Rome on Monday afternoon, where he met with the local Franciscan community.

  The town is well known as the place where, in December 1223, St. Francis set up the first crib scene, using local animals and a carved image of the Christ Child in a manger to recreate the events of Our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem…