Pope’s Mass to honour Mother of God on New Year’s Day

December 31, 2012 - Pope Benedict XVI will lead a solemn high Mass on New Year’s Day in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark the feast of the Mother of God. The Catholic Church also marks the World Day of Peace on January 1, a tradition begun by Pope Paul VI in 1968. Pope Benedict has already issued a message for the 46th World Day of Peace on the theme, “Blessed Are The Peacemakers”. In the message, the Holy Father reminds us at that we all have a role to play in building peace in our communities and in the world. He focuses on human dignity, rights and responsibilities, as well as the fiftieth anniversary of Pope John XXIII's Pacem in Terris. Later Tuesday, Pope Benedict will recite the first midday Marian ‘Angelus’ prayer of 2013 and impart his blessing.