CCSM presents Message of Peace for New Year 2021

 The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan presents His Holiness Pope Francis' Message for the 54th World Day of Peace marked on  January  1 titled, "No Peace Without a Culture of Care "which offers the Church’s social doctrine as a "compass" to foster a culture of care for peace in the world.

 

In a statement issued by CCSM Director Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader, he said that the Message of World Day of Peace 2021 emphasizes that a culture of care is a distinct vehicle for peace building. This noble human end can only be attained when the culture of care is viewed as a shared and participatory commitment in order to protect and promote human dignity, serving as a step to  maintain a willingness to care, to draw attention, as well as to demonstrate solidarity, respect and mutual acceptance, in lieu of the culture of indifference, marginalization and conflict that often pervades the mindset of today's world.

 

The Papal Message maps out an image of the experience the human family went through in the 2020 marked by the massive Covid-19 health crisis, which became a global phenomenon cutting across boundaries, aggravating deeply interrelated crises like those related to climate, to food, to economy and migration, as well as causing great suffering and hardship, at a time when humanity found itself facing the crashing waves of the pandemic storm, located on board the same boat, while seeking to reach the port of tranquility. It also realizes that everyone is important, and that we must row together, because no one can be saved on one's own, and that the country needs solidarity with others in order to secure the public good of its citizens.

 

Fr. Bader said that the Papal Message elucidates the wheel of dignity of the humans and the compass of basic social principles that enable us to sail on a safe and common path. The concept of the humans always means a relationship, since they are created to live within the family, the grouping, and the society, where all individuals are equal in dignity from which human rights are derived. Duties also entail the responsibility of accepting and assisting the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. Solidarity is not a vague feeling, but rather a tangible love, a firm determination and a persistent commitment in favor of the common good. From this premise, solidarity helps us see others-- be they individuals, peoples, or homelands--not as mere statistical data, or as a tool that is exploited and thrown aside when it loses its utility, but rather as people close to one another, such as companions on the road.

 

The Message calls on officials to chart a common plan that would lead humanity towards a true human destination. This can only be done through a compass of social principles that highly values the dignity of every person, through ensuring solidarity for the common good, and supporting people who suffer from poverty, disease, slavery, discrimination and disputes. Consequently, all people will become what His Holiness called: "Witnesses of the culture of care".

 

The Message stresses that enhancement of care necessitates an educational process that begins in the family, the natural and fundamental nucleus of society, in which one learns how to live and relate to others in a spirit of mutual respect. There are other actors in the fields of education and communications media. Religions, in general, and religious leaders, in particular, can play an indispensable role in transferring the vulnerable values of solidarity, respect for differences and care for brothers.

 

In his Message, the Pope mentions as well the urgent need to respect humanitarian law, especially at this time when conflicts and wars continue uninterrupted. Despite the fact that the causes of disputes are numerous and that they have the same outcome, namely destruction and humanitarian crises, Pope Francis in this regard refers to a courageous decision which would be to establish a ‘Global Fund’ with the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, in order to permanently  enhance security and human development, as well as to eliminate hunger, contribute to the development of the poorest countries,  in addition to meeting health needs and climate changes.

 

Fr. Bader said: While we are on the threshold of a new year 2021, which marks the centenary of the Jordanian state, we pay tribute to all the efforts that have been made in our beloved Jordanian homeland, designed to alleviate the pain of the suffering citizens of the past year. We also pay tribute to our extended Jordanian family under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ben Al Hussein, and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein Ben Abdullah II, and all those who works with them for the good of the country, for our national interest, as well as for human health and its sacred dignity. We pay tribute to the army and the security departments, and pray for the victims or rather the martyrs who passed away after suffering from Corona pandemic, especially the doctors and nurses who took the lead in defending the lives of citizens. We also pray for the suffering and afflicted families, for the poor, for the unemployed, and for the most adversely afflicted in this difficult year. We pray for the elderly and the outcast who lost dear ones and could not take the last look at them. We pray for the sick and for those who treat them, for the fearful, for the desperate, for the children, as well as for the young people who are about to get married.

 

The  CCSM statement concluded by saying: We learned in the midst of these events the importance of caring for one another, and the importance of the values ​​of solidarity and  working together for the common good, which were outstanding in the collective efforts of the state's governmental, security, health and social institutions which have been doing their best by making  great sacrifices so that some  of them lost their lives in order to alleviate the suffering of the sick or to save their lives. I hope that the new year will bring about a glimmer of hope so that the human family will be able to overcome this global crisis on the path towards a  more fraternal, just and peaceful world among individuals, groups, peoples and countries.