“GOD is not indifferent! God cares about mankind! God does not abandon us!…Sadly, war and terrorism, accompanied by kidnapping, ethnic and religious persecution and the misuse of power, marked the past year from start to finish. In many parts of the world, these have become so common as to constitute a real “third world war fought piecemeal”.
Yet some events of last year inspire me, in looking ahead to the New Year, to encourage everyone not to lose hope in our human ability to conquer evil and to combat resignation and indifference. They demonstrate our capacity to show solidarity and to rise above self-interest, apathy and indifference in the face of critical situations.
This is a fine letter. Not like the heavy and formal language of past papal statements, it speaks in a language that can be understood. Copies of this message are on the web. I strongly recommend it.