Pope Francis has condemned the lies and injustices of humans over the past 12 months.
Speaking in his homily at Vespers and Te Deum in Rome in thanksgiving for the past year, Pope Francis attacked the "works of death" that have characterised 2017.
God gave us the year 2017 in a "whole and healthy" state but "we humans" wasted and wounded it, he said.
"Wars are the flagrant sign of this recidivist and absurd pride. But so are all the small and great offences to life, to truth, to fraternity, which cause multiple forms of human, social and environmental degradation," said the Pope.
He spoke of how Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, gave the fullness of time to the world and human history. The first to experience this was the Virgin Mary. "Through her, so to speak, the fullness of time has flowed: through her humble and faith-filled heart, through her whole flesh impregnated with the Holy Spirit."
And he said the grace of Jesus prevails, and gratitude that he recognises in the people of Rome itself as Bishop of Rome.
Giving thanks for the citizens of Rome, Pope Francis said: "I feel a sense of sympathy and gratitude for all those people who every day contribute with small but precious concrete actions to the good of Rome: they try to fulfil their duty to the best."
He even praised their driving skills: "They move in traffic with criteria and prudence, respect public places and they point out things that are wrong, they pay attention to the elderly or those in difficulty, and so on. These and a thousand other behaviours express concretely their love for the city." This was a people silently cooperating in the common good.
"I also feel a great esteem for parents, teachers and all educators who, with this same style, try to train children and young people in a civic sense, an ethic of responsibility, educating them to feel part of , to take care of themselves, to take an interest in the reality that surrounds them," he added.
Many were living in difficult financial circumstances, yet they do not harbour resentments and grudges, but they strive to do their part every day to improve things.
"Today, in the thanksgiving to God, I invite you to express also the gratitude for all these craftsmen of the common good, who love their city not in words but with deeds," he concluded.
(Pic: Pope Francis delivers Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Credit: Evandro Inetti via ZUMA Wire)
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