EDITORIAL
On Christmas night, in the skies of Bethlehem, peace is announced “to the men loved by the Lord”. It is truly disconcerting to admit that this prophecy, more than two thousand years later, is still not fulfilled: in the land of Jesus, as in too many other parts of the world.
On the same Christmas night, however, we listen to the beautiful words of the prophet: «A child is born to us, a son has been given to us. His name will be… prince of peace.” A child cannot be scary and conquers everyone’s smile. A child brings hope and the future back to families. Because when a child is born, when we welcome him, protect him and accompany him, we have the hope that the seed of life will prevail over the threats of death.
Today’s wars, as never before, are particularly atrocious and shocking because they affect children and their mothers. In this issue we talk in particular about the conflict in Myanmar, a wonderful country dear to PIME missionaries, which has suffered and is suffering so much. But we want to tell it with the image of the child you saw on the cover, with the word hope and with concrete experiences: among these the commitment of New Humanity International to guarantee girls and boys access to study. We also talk about the conflict in Israel and Palestine, looking for the seeds of good. Let’s give the floor to Palestinian and Israeli women and mothers. Their commitment, which began years ago, does not stop even in the face of this tragically divisive war. They tell us that the only alternative to the madness that overwhelms their people is to recognize each other as sisters in humanity and talk to each other.
In this issue there are many other stories of hope, everyday but precious stories so that the Gospel of peace is announced. In Algeria, Father Davide Carraro was called to be the new bishop of Oran, heir of Blessed Pierre Claverie, martyr for dialogue and reconciliation. In the challenging context of Pozzuoli, the missionaries of the Immaculate experience the announcement of friendship and proximity. In Asia, the Foreign Missions of Paris (MEP), to which PIME is linked by a historic bond, face with humility and awareness the challenges and difficulties of the mission, which are the same as ours, also marked by fragility and failures. Words and deeds of good and hope. A hope that is not based on human calculations, but on faith in the child of Bethlehem, who was given to us as the prince of peace.