“Indifference with regard to the scourges of our time is one of the fundamental causes of the lack of peace in today’s world. Today it is often linked to various forms of individualism which cause isolation, ignorance, selfishness and, therefore, lack of interest and commitment…. It is essential that all people of good will, especially those who work in the fields of education, culture and the media, contribute to combatting this.”
Thus says the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in its press release presenting the theme chosen by Pope Francis for World Peace Day 2016: Overcome Indifference and Win Peace. The Day, instituted by Blessed Paul VI, is celebrated each year on the first day of January and, as the press release continues, “indicates the Holy See’s diplomatic line for the coming year.” 1 January 2016 will be the 49th edition of World Peace Day.
After treating the subjects of fraternity and modern forms of slavery, the Pope has chosen a theme that has weighed on his heart from the beginning of his papacy: that of the “globalization of indifference,” which he has decried on numerous occasions as “the plague of the modern age.”