To do this fully, always be motivated by those sound moral principles that form the heritage of any authentically human culture. May your work, also inspired by the beauty and newness of the Christian message, raise the spirit towards the One who transforms life's efforts into jubilation. I hope that each of you, a pilgrim to the tomb of the Apostle Peter, can make this experience of faith and conversion your own, to celebrate joyfully the 2,000th anniversary of Christ's birth. I then greet all those who are members of the National Federation of Fisheries and who have come here with the General Director. The sea is a lovely image of this world in which our lives are lived.
Humanity rides the billows of time to the shores of eternity.
It is waiting to be saved by Christ. I hope that all of you will live this relationship with natural resources fully respecting the marine environment, so that work and a living will also be safeguarded for future generations in peaceful coexistence, on the sea as on land, in nature and among human beings. This year, as always in collaboration with Caritas, its special goal is to meet the needs of children in difficulty, suffering or in danger. With Christmas now close, may your praiseworthy initiative which is so popular bring serenity to all who are taking part in it, actively or by television. May it be a simple but effective contribution to destroying every barrier of social discrimination and nurturing the culture of acceptance and solidarity.