Pope calls for respect and peace

The Pope today called for the respect of all people without discrimination and the protection of children from war and violence during a Mass marking the start of 2010.

He said in the homily that peace begins by recognising in each other's faces that men are brothers and not rivals or enemies. He said people should be taught the value of respect for all from an early age.

He said children make it evident that men are brothers because "despite differences, they cry and laugh the same way, have the same needs, communicate spontaneously, play together."

The Pope said the painful images of children at the mercy of war and violence, their faces "disfigured by pain and desperation," are a silent appeal for peace.

The Pope, also marking the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, said: "Peace begins with a look of respect that recognises in another man's face a person, regardless of the colour of his skin, nationality, language or religion."

The value of respect for all should be taught from an early age, he said. Noting that classes containing children of different backgrounds are common, he said that "their faces are a prophecy of the kind of humanity we are called upon to create: a family of families and peoples."

The 82-year-old Pope put children, especially those hurt by conflict or forced to leave their homes, at the heart of his call for peace.

He said they make it evident that men are brothers because "despite differences, they cry and laugh the same way, have the same needs, communicate spontaneously, play together."

The painful images of children at the mercy of war and violence, their faces "disfigured by pain and desperation," are a silent appeal for peace, he said.

"Faced with their defenceless condition, all the false justifications for war and violence collapse," the pope said. "We simply must convert to a project of peace, laying down arms of all kinds and committing all together to building a world more worthy of man."

In his homily, Pope Benedict also renewed his call to protect the environment, saying that the degradation of man leads to the degradation of the planet.

The Pope celebrated the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica a week after he was knocked down by a woman on Christmas Eve. He was unhurt in the fall and has kept up his busy holiday schedule.