Pope Francis speaks to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See Jan. 11, 2015. Credit: L'Osservatore Romano.

Pope Francis speaks to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See Jan. 11, 2015. Credit: L’Osservatore Romano.

Following a year marred by war and terrorism, Pope Francis told diplomats Monday that for 2017, peace has to be more than just an idea or a nice theory, but must be actively pursued with concrete policies aimed at promoting the common good and the dignity of the human person.

“Peace is a positive good…it is more than the absence of war. Nor can it be reduced to the maintenance of a balance of power between opposing forces,” the Pope said Jan. 9. Instead, peace “demands the commitment of those persons of good will who thirst for an ever more perfect reign of justice.”

While some nations seem to take for granted long periods of peace enjoyed since the close of the First World War, for millions of others peace “remains merely a distant dream.”

“Millions of people still live in the midst of senseless conflicts,” he said, noting that we are frequently bombarded “by images of death, by the pain of innocent men, women and children,” as well as by the grief of those who have lost loved ones due to violence and the “drama” of forced migration.

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