Among those who have died, I would like to mention the late Archbishop Aldo Giordano, an Apostolic Nuncio who was well-known and respected in the diplomatic community. The coronavirus continues to cause social isolation and to take lives. In these days, we are conscious that the fight against the pandemic still calls for a significant effort on the part of everyone certainly, the New Year will continue to be demanding in this regard.
Many of you have come from other capital cities for today’s event, thus joining the numerous Ambassadors residing in Rome, who will soon be joined by the Swiss Confederation. Your presence is always a tangible sign of the attention your countries devote to the Holy See and its role in the international community. Through all of you, I extend my affectionate greetings to the peoples you represent. I especially thank the Dean, His Excellency Mr George Poulides, the Ambassador of Cyprus, for his gracious address to me in the name of the entire Diplomatic Corps. I am therefore particularly grateful to you for taking part today in our annual “family gathering”, a propitious occasion for exchanging good wishes for the New Year and for considering together the lights and shadows of our time.
In the end, that is the aim of all diplomacy: to help resolve disagreements arising from human coexistence, to foster harmony and to realize that, once we pass beyond conflict, we can recover a sense of the profound unity of all reality.
Today we want to continue in that spirit, as we once more come together as a large family which discusses and dialogues. Yesterday concluded the liturgical season of Christmas, a privileged period for cultivating family relationships, from which we can at times be distracted and distant due to our many commitments during the year.
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