В рождественском обращении Его Святейшество епископ Рима, викарий Христа, преемник князя апостолов, верховный первосвященник Вселенской церкви, Великий понтифик, Примас Италии, архиепископ и митрополит Римской провинции, суверен государства-города Ватикан, раб рабов Божьих Франциск обратился к атеистам с призывом объединиться с верующими всех религий ради борьбы за мир во всём мире:
"Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace," he said.
He said that people of other religions were also praying for peace, and - departing from his prepared text - he urged atheists to join forces with believers.
"I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace," he said, drawing sustained applause from the crowd.
Francis's reaching out to atheists and people of other religions is a marked contrast to the attitude of former Pope Benedict, who sometimes left non-Catholics feeling that he saw them as second-class believers.
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Everyone united for peaceПолный текст:
Pope Francis: Urbi et Orbi Message