Saturday, November 28, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI: That Children May Be Respected, Loved, and Never Exploited

"In every child we see something of the Child of Bethlehem. Every child asks for our love. This night, then, let us think especially of those children who are denied the love of their parents. Let us think of those street children who do not have the blessing of a family home, of those children who are brutally exploited as soldiers and made instruments of violence, instead of messengers of reconciliation and peace. Let us think of those children who are victims of the industry of pornography and every other appalling form of abuse, and thus are traumatized in the depths of their soul. The Child of Bethlehem summons us once again to do everything in our power to put an end to the suffering of these children; to do everything possible to make the light of Bethlehem touch the heart of every man and woman. Only through the conversion of hearts, only through a change in the depths of our hearts can the cause of all this evil be overcome, only thus can the power of the evil one be defeated. Only if people change will the world change; and in order to change, people need the light that comes from God, the light which so unexpectedly entered into our night."

~ HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI ~
Saint Peter's Basilica
Thursday, 25 December 2008

DECEMBER 2009 PRAYER INTENTIONS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI

•Children. That children may be respected, loved, and never exploited.
•Christ, Light of the World. That during Christmas the peoples of the earth may recognize the Incarnate Word as the light that illuminates every person, and that every nation may open its doors to Christ, the Savior of the world.

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