Pope greets Chinese on occasion of New Year with message on love and tolerance

The head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope Benedict XVI, has sent his greetings to the Chinese on the occasion of the Chinese Lunar New Year, explaining the Christian message of nonviolence and love.

"Turning the other cheek" does not mean giving in to evil but reacting to evil with good, just as "loving one's enemies" means putting "more" love in a world marked by too much violence and too much injustice, the Pope said in his address to a gathering of 50,000 faithful in St. Peter's Square.

In his greeting to the faithful, the Pope noted that China was one of the countries that preoccupied his mind. After reciting the Marian prayer, he recalled that "in various countries of the East the Lunar New Year is being celebrated with joy and in the intimacy of the family," and sent his greetings and best wishes of "serenity and prosperity" to "all those great peoples."

China and its neighbouring countries began celebrating the Lunar New Year – the biggest festival of the whole year – last week.

Before the Marian prayer, the Pope spoke about one of the most typical and strongest excerpts of the preaching of Jesus: 'Love your enemies’ (Luke 6:27).' "But what is the meaning of these words of his? Why does Jesus ask us to love our enemies, that is, a love that surpasses human capacity? In reality, the suggestion of Christ is realistic because it takes into account that there is too much violence, too much injustice in the world and therefore the situation cannot be overcome unless it is countered by more love and more goodness. This 'more' comes from God: it is his mercy, which became flesh in Jesus and alone can 'turn the balance' of the world away from evil towards good, starting from that small and decisive 'world' that is the heart of man," the Pope explained.

"This gospel page is rightly considered to be the magna carta of Christian nonviolence, which consists not of giving in to evil – according to a false interpretation of 'turning the other cheek' (cfr Lk 6:29) – but in responding to evil with good (cfr Rm 12: 17–21), thus breaking the chains of injustice. Then it is understood that for Christians, nonviolence is not merely tactical behaviour but rather a personal way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of the love and strength of God that he is not afraid to face evil armed with just the weapons of love and truth," the Pope continued.

"Loving one's enemy constitutes the nucleus of the 'Christian revolution,' a revolution based not on strategies of economic, political or mediating power. The revolution of love, a love that ultimately does not depend on human resources but is a gift of God that is obtained by trusting uniquely and without reservations in his merciful goodness. This is the news of the Gospel, which changes the world without making any noise about it. This is the heroism of the 'little ones' who believe in the love of God and spread it even at the cost of their life," he added.