Pope prays for earthquake victims

The Pope prayed for the victims of the Indian Ocean earthquake during a special midnight Mass in his private chapel early today.

Then after a few hours of rest, the ailing pontiff presided over a New Year’s Day Mass, dedicated to peace, in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, in Rome.

The Pope has made several appeals to encourage international relief efforts to help victims of the earthquake-triggered tsunamis which swamped coastlines in Asia and Africa.

The Catholic Church dedicates the first day of each year to the theme of global peace.

The Pope said in his homily: “World Peace Day constitutes an invitation to Christians and to all men of good will to renew their determined commitment to build peace.

“That presumes the embrace of a fundamental moral requirement, well expressed in the words of St Paul: ‘Don’t let yourself be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good’.

“In the face of multiple manifestations of evil, which unfortunately wound the human family, the priority requirement is to promote peace, using the proper means, giving importance to dialogue, to the work of justice, and teaching about pardon.

“To conquer evil with the arms of love becomes the way in which each one can contribute to the peace of everybody. This is the path which Christians and believers of various religions are called to take, together with all those who identify with universal moral law.”

John Paul, 84, suffers from Parkinson’s disease which makes it difficult for him to speak and move.

Wearing gold-coloured robes, he read the homily slowly but in a clear voice as he sat in a chair in front of the central altar of the basilica.

The basilica, crowded with tourists, pilgrims and Romans, echoed with religious chants.

Although the Pope’s holiday schedule is lighter than several years ago, when he still enjoyed robust health, he has kept the major traditional appointments eagerly awaited by the faithful, and has held up well during the long public ceremonies.