Originally published at National Catholic Register
Referring to diplomacy as a “vocation” to “foster dialogue with all parties,” the Pope said political leaders are called to be heralds of peace, truth, forgiveness, freedom, and justice.
Pope Francis delivered his annual “state of the world” address on Thursday, asking ambassadors accredited to the Holy See to pursue a “diplomacy of hope” in the 2025 Jubilee Year, and decrying a polarization that he said led to the assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump.
“We see increasingly polarized societies marked by a general sense of fear and distrust of others and of the future, which is aggravated by the continuous creation and spread of ‘fake news,’ which not only distorts facts but also perceptions,” the Pope said.
“This phenomenon generates false images of reality, a climate of suspicion that foments hate, undermines people’s sense of security, and compromises civil coexistence and the stability of entire nations. Tragic examples of this are the attacks on the chairman of the government of the Slovak Republic and the president-elect of the United States of America,” he continued.
Unable to read his full address due to a persistent cold, the 88-year-old pontiff asked an aide to deliver his prepared remarks to
