English
Peace and harmony are exactly those goods which we, Ambassadors, wish Poland and all the countries in the world at the start of the New Year – said the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, extending his wishes to the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda from the entire Diplomatic Corps during the New Year’s meeting.
“We trust that our everyday work, which makes us watch with attention and respect the developments within the Polish society, will also contribute to building an atmosphere of peace and harmony both in Poland, as well as between Poland and other members of the family of nations” – said Archbishop Filipazzi.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Poland acknowledged that peace and reconciliation are “indispensable values, the ones which need to exist at all levels, starting from individual consciences, up to the global level, encompassing families, social groups and the State in all its articulations, along the way”. “Peace and harmony are exactly those goods which we, Ambassadors, wish Poland and all the countries in the world at the start of the New Year” – he added. He also recalled the words of the Roman historian Sallust: “Concordia parvae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur” (“As concord makes small things grow, discord brings the greatest to ruin” – Bellum Iugurthinum, 10, 6).
Archbishop Filipazzi noted that the beginning of the new year has not ended the wars and hostilities that marked the course of 2023 in different parts of the world. “It remains for us, therefore, to wish the dear Polish nation that it may be always spared the scourge of war and discord in all its manifestations” – he said.
He added that “there are undoubtedly concerns about the loss of peace and harmony, but these should not make us lose sight of certain positive signs and seeds of goodness which, looking at the past year, can be noticed in Poland and in various parts of the world”. “These good and important elements, which give us hope and encourage our efforts to build a better future, must be recognized by us, duly taken into consideration, guarded and nurtured with great commitment, with a constant search for what unites and builds on the ground of truth, goodness and justice” – Apostolic Nuncio to Poland stressed.
Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
We publish the entire text of the wishes:
Excellency, Distinguished Mr President,
It is a great honor for me to be able to convey, for the first time, the best wishes that the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Poland wants to extend at the beginning of the New Year to Your Excellency, Your Honorable Spouse of the President, as well as to other Authorities and to all Citizens of this noble nation. In a sense, one can say that today the countries of the world have gathered here to wish Poland all the best in 2024.
On behalf of my Honourable Colleagues, I wish to ensure you that we will do our utmost to perform our “diplomatic service” in the best possible way. Indeed, diplomacy properly understood and practiced is and must remain a service. It is, obviously, first of all a service to those who have posted us here, but to some extent it is also a service towards the ones who have received us and who heartily support us and cooperate with us on a daily basis. We trust that our everyday work, which makes us watch with attention and respect the developments within the Polish society, will also contribute to building an atmosphere of peace and harmony both in Poland, as well as between Poland and other members of the family of nations.
And is precisely our most sincere wish for Poland for 2024 and forever: peace and harmony!
For these are indispensable values, the ones which need to exist at all levels, starting from individual consciences, up to the global level, encompassing families, social groups and the State in all its articulations, along the way. Peace and harmony are exactly those goods which we, Ambassadors, wish Poland and all the countries in the world at the start of the New Year, also because as the Roman historian Sallust stated: “Concordia parvae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur” (“As concord makes small things grow, discord brings the greatest to ruin” – Bellum Iugurthinum, 10, 6).
Unfortunately, the beginning of the new year has not ended the wars and hostilities which marked the course of 2023 in different parts of the world. I think that we can subscribe to the recent statement made by Pope Francis: “Our world is witnessing a growing number of conflicts that are slowly turning what I have often called “a third world war fought piecemeal” into a genuine global conflict” (Address to Members of the Diplomatic Corps, 8 January 2024). It remains for us, therefore, to wish the dear Polish nation that it may be always spared the scourge of war and discord in all its manifestations.
There are undoubtedly concerns about the loss of peace and harmony, but these should not make us lose sight of certain positive signs and seeds of goodness which, looking at the past year, can be noticed in Poland and in various parts of the world. These good and important elements, which give us hope and encourage our efforts to build a better future, must be recognized by us, duly taken into consideration, guarded and nurtured with great commitment, with a constant search for what unites and builds on the ground of truth, goodness and justice.
Your Excellency, the Diplomatic Corps wholeheartedly wishes You Sir, the Authorities and all the Citizens of Poland to build and enjoy genuine peace and authentic harmony throughout 2024.
