The sacrament "requires us to set aside every act of violence in thought, word and deed, whether against our neighbours or against God's creation," he said.
The World Day of Peace – instituted by St. Paul VI in 1968 – is celebrated each year on the first day of January. The pope provides a special message for the occasion, which is sent to all foreign ministers around the world.
The pope's message for the 2020 World Day of Peace is entitled, "Peace as a Journey of Hope: Dialogue, Reconciliation and Ecological Conversion."
"The ecological conversion for which we are appealing will lead us to a new way of looking at life, as we consider the generosity of the Creator who has given us the earth and called us to a share it in joy and moderation," Pope Francis said.
"All this gives us deeper motivation and a new way to dwell in our common home, to accept our differences, to respect and celebrate the life that we have received and share, and to seek living conditions and models of society that favour the continued flourishing of life and the development of the common good of the entire human family," he said.
At a press conference on the peace message, Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said faith in God's covenant implies care for the weakest members of society and for the environment as God's creation.
In his peace message, Pope Francis said that democracy can be an important paradigm for the peace process, provided that it is "grounded in justice and a commitment to protect the rights of every person, especially the weak and marginalized."
"Setting out on a journey of peace is a challenge made all the more complex because the interests at stake in relationships between people, communities and nations, are numerous and conflicting. We must first appeal to people's moral conscience and to personal and political will," he said.
"The desire for peace lies deep within the human heart, and we should not resign ourselves to seeking anything less than this," Pope Francis said.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.