Pope speaks of plight of poor worldwide

In his address for the World Day of Peace (New Year's Day) Pope John Paul II has strongly deplored a global situation in which the "immensely rich and miserably poor" live side by side.

He criticises particularly those who "thoughtlessly waste what others so desperately need". Eliminating poverty ought to be a priority for everyone "at the national as well as the international level".

He describes the debt burden as one of the greatest difficulties facing poorer countries.

The Pope also speaks of the evil of corruption, which he describes as a growing phenomenon insidiously infiltrating many sectors of society. In the battle against it, he says, a grave responsibility falls on those in public life, whose duty is to work tirelessly for an equitable application of the law and for transparency in all acts of public administration.

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev Walton Empey, says in his Christmas message that it is the responsibility of Christians to shine the light of Christ's truth "into the darkness of violence, famine, sectarianism, homelessness, loneliness and suchlike". "That is the challenge that the birth at Bethlehem confronts us with in the midst of all our celebrations," he declares.