Anchor: Pope Francis has condemned fundamentalist terrorism as a "homicidal madness" and called on political leaders to work actively for the growth of peace. He also voiced concerns about North Korea's continuous nuclear tests that destabilize the entire region. The Argentine-born pontiff gave his annual address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See for a traditional exchange of New Year's greetings at the Vatican.
Mina Cha has more.

Report: Pope Francis has warned that North Korea’s continuous nuclear tests will destabilize the whole world by prompting a nuclear arms race.

During his annual papal “state of the world” address to the Corps of Diplomats Accredited to the Holy See on Monday, the pope called for a peaceful resolution to global issues.

[Sound bite: Pope Francis / Jan. 9]
"Particularly disturbing are the experiments being conducted on the Korean Peninsula, which destabilize the entire region and raise troubling questions for the entire international community about the risk of a new nuclear arms race."

In his speech before the ambassadors from more than 180 countries, the pontiff condemned terrorism and extremist violence across the world with what he called "a homicidal madness."

[Sound bite: Pope Francis / Jan. 9]
"We are dealing with a homicidal madness which misuses God’s name in order to disseminate death, in a play for domination and power."

He appealed to the diplomats to join hands in order to block religion from being used as a pretext for “rejection, marginalization and violence.”

Stressing the value of integration, he urged Europe to deal with those issues by rediscovering its proper identity "so as to give birth to a new humanism."

The pope mentioned several European countries as an exemplary case of responding to the refugee crisis. He then called on other countries to embrace refugees as well while fighting against poverty and social illness that can incite religious extremism.
Mina Cha, KBS World Radio News.

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