After the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
[…] I am a little saddened by the news that many displaced people arrive, many
men, women, children driven away because of the war, many migrants who seek
refuge in the world, and help. These days, it has become very strong. Let us
pray for them. […]
Dear Brothers,
I am pleased that we can meet you and I am grateful that each of you has
accepted the invitation of the Italian Episcopal Conference to take part in this
meeting, which assembles the Churches of the Mediterranean. In looking around
this Church [the Basilica of St. Nicholas, I think of another meeting, our meeting
with the Heads of the Christian Churches, both Orthodox and Catholic, here in
Bari. This is the second time in a few months that we have made a gesture of
unity of this kind. That earlier meeting was the first time after the great schism
that all of us were together, and this is the first meeting of bishops from around
the Mediterranean. I think we could call Bari the capital of unity, of the unity of
the Church – if Archbishop Cacucci will let us! Thank you for your welcome,
Excellency, thank you.
When Cardinal Bassetti presented the idea to me, I readily accepted it, seeing it
as an opportunity to begin a process of listening and discussion aimed at helping
to build peace in this crucial part of the world. For that reason, I wanted to be
present and testify to the importance of the new model of fraternity and
collegiality that you represent. I like the word that you joined to dialogue:
conviviality.
I find it significant that this meeting takes place in Bari, since this city is so
important for its links with the Middle East and Africa; it is an eloquent sign of
the deeply rooted relationships between different peoples and traditions. The
Diocese of Bari has always fostered ecumenical and interreligious dialogue,
working tirelessly to create bonds of mutual esteem and fraternity. I purposely
chose Bari a year and a half ago, as I said, to meet leaders of Christian
communities in the Middle East for an important moment of discussion and
fellowship meant to help our sister Churches to journey together and feel closer
to one another.
You have come together in this particular context to reflect on the vocation and
future of the Mediterranean, on the transmission of the faith and the promotion
of peace. The Mare nostrum is the physical and spiritual locus where our
civilization took shape as a result of the encounter of diverse peoples. By its very
configuration, this sea forces surrounding peoples and cultures to constant
interact, to recall what they have in common, and to realize that only by living in
concord can they enjoy the opportunities this region offers, thanks to its
resources, its natural beauty and its varied human traditions.
In our own day, the importance of this area has not decreased in the wake of the
process of globalization; on the contrary, globalization has highlighted the role of
the Mediterranean as a crossroads of interests and important social, political,
religious and economic currents. The Mediterranean remains a strategic region
whose equilibrium has an impact on the other parts of the world.
It could be said that the size of the Mediterranean is inversely proportional to its
importance, to see it more as a lake than an ocean, as Giorgio La Pira once said.
Defining it as “the great Sea of Galilee”, he drew an analogy between Jesus’ time
and our own, between his milieu and that of the peoples of our time. Just as
Jesus lived and worked in a context of differing cultures and beliefs, so we find
ourselves in a multifaceted environment scarred by divisions and forms of
inequality that lead to instability. Amid deep fault lines and economic, religious,
confessional and political conflicts, we are called to offer our witness to unity and
peace. We do so prompted by our faith and membership in the Church, seeking
to understand the contribution that we, as disciples of the Lord, can make to all
the men and women of the Mediterranean region.
The transmission of the faith necessarily draws upon the heritage of the
Mediterranean region. That heritage has been fostered, preserved and kept alive
by Christian communities through catechesis and the celebration of the
sacraments, the formation of consciences, and individual and communal hearing
of the Lord’s word. Specifically, thanks to popular piety, the Christian experience
has taken on a form both meaningful and enduring: popular devotion is for the
most part the expression of straightforward and authentic faith. Here I often like
to cite that gem which is No. 48 of the Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi on
popular piety, where Saint Paul VI prefers, in place of “religiosity”, to speak of
“popular piety”, pointing out both its richness and its shortcomings. That
passage should guide us in our proclamation of the Gospel to the peoples.
In this region, one deposit of remarkable potential is its art, which combines the
content of the faith with cultural treasures and beautiful artworks. This heritage
continues to attract millions of visitors from every part of the world and must be
carefully preserved as a precious legacy received “on loan”, to be handed on to
future generations.
In the light of all this, the preaching of the Gospel cannot be detached from
commitment to the common good; it impels us to act tirelessly as peacemakers.
The Mediterranean region is currently threatened by outbreaks of instability and
conflict, both in the Middle East and different countries of North Africa, as well as
between various ethnic, religious or confessional groups. Nor can we overlook
the still unresolved conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, with the danger of
inequitable solutions and, hence, a prelude to new crises.
War, by allocating resources to the acquisition of weapons and military power,
diverts those resources from vital social needs, such as the support of families,
health care and education. As Saint John XXIII teaches, it is contrary to reason
(cf. Pacem in Terris, 114; 127). In other words, it is madness; it is madness to
destroy houses, bridges, factories and hospitals, to kill people and annihilate
resources, instead of building human and economic relationships. It is a kind of
folly to which we cannot resign ourselves: war can never be considered normal,
or accepted as an inevitable means of settling differences and conflicts of
interest. Never.
The ultimate goal of every human society is peace; indeed, we can affirm once
more that “in spite of everything, there is no real alternative to peacemaking”
(Meeting with Heads of Churches and Christian Communities in the Middle East,
Bari, 7 July 2018). There is no reasonable alternative to peace, because every
attempt at exploitation or supremacy demeans both its author and its target. It
shows a myopic grasp of reality, since it can offer no future to either of the two.
War is thus the failure of every plan, human and divine. One need only visit a
countryside or city that has been a theatre of war to realize how, as a result of
hatred, a garden turns into a desolate and inhospitable landscape, how the
earthly paradise turns into hell. Here I would also mention the grave sin of
hypocrisy, when at international meetings many countries talk about peace and
then sell weapons to countries at war. This can be called hypocrisy on a grand
scale.
Peace, which the Church and every civic institution must always consider their
first priority, has justice as its indispensable condition. Justice is trampled
underfoot when the needs of individuals are ignored and where partisan
economic interests prevail over the rights of individuals and communities.
Moreover, justice is blocked by a throwaway culture that treats persons as if they
were things, generating and promoting inequality. So much so that on the shores
of this very sea there are some societies of immense wealth and others in which
many people struggle simply to survive.
A decisive contribution to combating this culture is made by the countless
charitable and educational works carried out by Christian communities.
Whenever dioceses, parishes, associations, volunteer organizations – one of the
great treasures of Italian pastoral care – or individuals strive to support those
abandoned or in need, the Gospel becomes all the more powerful and attractive.
In the pursuit of the common good – another name for peace – we should
employ the criterion pointed out by La Pira: to let ourselves be guided by the
“expectations of the poor” (“Le attese della povera gente”, in Cronache sociali
1/1950). This principle, which can never be set aside for calculation or
convenience, if taken seriously, enables a radical anthropological shift that
makes everyone more human.
What use is a society of constant technological progress, if it becomes
increasingly indifferent to its members in need? In preaching the Gospel, we
hand on a way of thinking that respects each person by our unremitting effort to
make the Church, the Churches, a sign of special care for the vulnerable and the
poor. For “the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1
Cor 12:22) and “if one member suffers, all suffer together” (1 Cor 12:26).
In the Mediterranean region, these include all who are fleeing war or who have
left their homelands in search of a humanly dignified life. The number of these
brothers and sisters – forced to abandon their loved ones and their lands, and to
face conditions of extreme insecurity – has risen as a result of spreading
conflicts and increasingly dramatic environmental and climatic conditions. It is
easy to anticipate that this phenomenon, with its momentous developments, will
have an effect on the Mediterranean, for which states and religious communities
must not be found unprepared. While countries experiencing this flow of
migrants and countries to which they travel are affected by this, so too are the
governments and Churches of the migrants’ countries of origin, which, with the
departure of so many young people, witness the impoverishment of their own
future.
We are aware that, in different social contexts, there is a growing attitude of
indifference and even rejection that reflects the mentality, condemned in many
of the Gospel parables, of those who, caught up in their own wealth and
freedom, are blind to others who, by speaking out or by the very fact of their
poverty, are pleading for help. Fear is leading to a sense that we need to defend
ourselves against what is depicted in demagogic terms as an invasion. The
rhetoric of the clash of civilizations merely serves to justify violence and to
nurture hatred. The failure or, in any case, the weakness of politics, and
factionalism are leading to forms of radicalism and terrorism. The international
community has been content with military interventions, whereas it should have
built institutions that can guarantee equal opportunities and enable citizens to
assume their responsibility for the common good.
For our part, brothers, let us speak out to demand that government leaders
protect minorities and religious freedom. The persecution experienced above all
– but not only – by Christian communities is a heart-rending fact that cannot
leave us indifferent.
In the meantime, we can never resign ourselves to the fact that someone who
seeks hope by way of the sea can die without receiving help, or that someone
from afar can fall prey to sexual exploitation, be underpaid or recruited by
gangs.
To be sure, acceptance and a dignified integration are stages in a process that is
not easy. Yet it is unthinkable that we can address the problem by putting up
walls. I grow fearful when I hear certain speeches by some leaders of the new
forms of populism; it reminds me of speeches that disseminated fear and hatred
back in the thirties of the last century. As I said, it is unthinkable that this
process of acceptance and dignified integration can be accomplished by building
walls. When we do so, we cut ourselves off from the richness brought by others,
which always represents an opportunity for growth. When we reject the desire
for fellowship present deep within the human heart and is part of the history of
peoples, we stand in the way of the unification of the human family, which
despite many challenges, continues to advance. Last week, an artist from Turin
sent me a little wood-burned picture of the flight to Egypt with Saint Joseph, not
the peaceful Saint Joseph we are used to seeing on holy cards, but Saint Joseph
in the guise of a Syrian refugee bearing a child on his shoulders. It portrayed the
pain and the bitter tragedy of the Child Jesus on the flight to Egypt. The same
thing that is happening today.
The Mediterranean has a unique vocation in this regard: it is the sea of
intermingling, “culturally always open to encounter, dialogue and mutual
inculturation” (Meeting with Heads of Churches and Christian Communities in the
Middle East, Bari, 7 July 2018). Notions of racial purity have no future. The
message of intermingling has much to tell us. To be part of the Mediterranean
region is a source extraordinary potential: may we not allow a spirit of
nationalism to spread the opposite view, namely, that those states less
accessible and geographically more isolated should be privileged. Dialogue alone
enables us to come together, to overcome prejudices and stereotypes, to tell our
stories and to come to know ourselves better. Dialogue is the word I heard
today: conviviality.
Young people, too, represent a special opportunity. When they are provided the
resources and possibilities they need to take charge of their own future, they
show that they are capable of generating a promising and hope-filled future. This
will only happen as the result of an acceptance that is not superficial but
heartfelt and benevolent, practised by everyone at all levels, both the everyday
level of interpersonal relationships and the political and institutional levels, and
fostered by those who shape culture and bear greater responsibility in the area
of public opinion.
For those who believe in the Gospel, dialogue is advantageous not only from an
anthropological but also from a theological standpoint. Listening to our brothers
and sisters is not only an act of charity but also a way of listening to the Spirit of
God who surely works in others and whose voice transcends the limits in which
we are often tempted to constrain the truth. Let us come to know the value of
hospitality: “for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:1).
We need to develop a theology of acceptance and of dialogue leading to a
renewed understanding and proclamation of the teaching of Scripture. This can
only happen if we make every effort to take the first step and not exclude the
seeds of truth also possessed by others. In this way, the discussion of our
various religious convictions can concern not only the truths we believe, but also
specific themes that can become defining points of our teaching as a whole.
All too often, history has known conflicts and struggles based on the distorted
notion that we are defending God by opposing anyone who does not share our
set of beliefs. Indeed, extremism and fundamentalism deny the dignity of the
human person and his or her religious freedom, and thus lead to moral decline
and the spread of an antagonistic view of human relationships. This too shows
us the urgent need of a more vital encounter between different religious
confessions, one motivated by sincere respect and a desire for peace.
This encounter is spurred by the awareness, set forth in the Document on
Human Fraternity signed at Abu Dhabi, that “the authentic teachings of religions
invite us to remain rooted in the values of peace; to defend the values of mutual
understanding, human fraternity and harmonious coexistence”. Religious groups
and different communities can cooperate more actively in helping the poor and
welcoming immigrants, in such a way that our relationships are motivated by
common goals and accompanied by active commitment. Those who together
dirty their hands in building peace and fraternal acceptance will no longer be
able to fight over matters of faith, but will pursue the paths of respectful
discussion, mutual solidarity, and the quest for unity. Its opposite is what I felt
when I went to Lampedusa, that air of indifference: on the island there was
acceptance and welcome, but then, in the world, the culture of indifference.
Dear brothers, these are the hopes I wanted to share with you at the conclusion
of our fruitful and consoling encounter in these days. I entrust you to the
intercession of the Apostle Paul who was the first to cross the Mediterranean,
facing dangers and hardships of every kind, in order to bring the Gospel of Christ
to everyone. May his example show you the paths to pursue in the joyful and
liberating task of handing on the faith in our own time.
I leave you with the words of the Prophet Isaiah, in the hope that they will
provide you and your respective communities with hope and strength.
Witnessing the destruction of Jerusalem after the exile, the prophet did not fail
to look forward to a future of peace and prosperity: “They shall build up the
ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the
ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Is 61:4). This is the work
the Lord entrusts to you on behalf of this beloved Mediterranean region: to
restore relationships that have been broken, to rebuild cities destroyed by
violence, to make a garden flourish in what is now a desert, to instil hope in the
hopeless, and to encourage those caught up in themselves not to fear their
brothers or sisters. And to look upon this [sea], which has already become a
cemetery, as a place of future resurrection for the entire area. May the Lord
accompany your steps and bless your work of reconciliation and peace. Thank
you.
[…] With regard to method, education is an inclusive movement. An inclusion
that reaches out to all the excluded: those who are excluded due to poverty,
vulnerability caused by war, famine and natural disasters, by social selectivity,
and family and existential difficulties. An inclusion that is made tangible in
educational action in favour of refugees, victims of human trafficking, and
migrants, without distinction on the basis of sex, religion or ethnicity. Inclusion is
not a modern invention, but it is an integral part of the Christian salvific
message. Nowadays it is necessary to accelerate this inclusive movement of
education to counter the throwaway culture, which originates from the denial of
fraternity as a constitutive element of humanity. […]
[…] Since its foundation, the Knights of Columbus has demonstrated its
unswerving devotion to the Successor of Peter. The establishment of the Vicarius
Christi Fund is a testimony to this devotion, as well as to the desire of the
Knights to share in the Pope’s solicitude for all the Churches and in his universal
mission of charity. In our world, marked by divisions and inequalities, the
generous commitment of your Order to serve all in need offers, especially to
young people, an important inspiration to overcome a globalization of
indifference and build together a more just and inclusive society. […]
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters,
yesterday we celebrated the liturgical memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita and
the World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking. Healing this
wound — because it is truly a wound! — that exploits the weakest, demands the
commitment of all: institutions, associations and educational agencies.
Concerning prevention, I would like to point out that various studies show that
criminal organisations increasingly use modern means of communication to lure
victims under false pretences. It is therefore necessary, on the one hand, to
educate people in the healthy use of technology and, on the other, to monitor
and remind service providers of their responsibilities.
Distressing reports continue to come from north-west Syria, particularly
regarding the plight of many women and children, of people forced to flee due to
the military escalation. I renew my heartfelt appeal to the international
community and all those involved to use diplomatic means, dialogue and
negotiation, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, to safeguard the
lives and future of civilians. Let us pray for this beloved and tormented Syria:
Hail Mary… […]
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
I wish to express my gratitude to you for this meeting. We are taking advantage
of this new beginning of the year to build bridges, bridges that foster the
development of a look of solidarity starting from banks, finances, governments
and economic decisions. We need many voices capable of thinking, from a
multifaceted perspective, the different dimensions of a global problem affecting
our peoples and our democracies.
I would like to start with a fact. The world is rich and yet the poor are growing
around us. According to official reports, this year’s world income will be nearly $
12,000 per capita. Yet hundreds of millions of people are still plunged into
extreme poverty and lack food, housing, medical care, schools, electricity,
drinking water and adequate and indispensable health services. An estimated
five million children under the age of 5 will die this year from poverty. Another
260 million will not receive education due to lack of resources, wars and
migrations. This in a rich world, because the world is rich.
This situation has led millions of people to be victims of trafficking and new
forms of slavery, such as forced labor, prostitution and organ trafficking. They do
not enjoy any rights and guarantees; they can’t even enjoy friendship or family.
These realities should not be a reason for despair, but for action. They are
realities that push us to do something.
The main message of hope that I wish to share with you is precisely this: these
are solvable problems and not lack of resources. There is no determinism that
condemns us to universal iniquity. Let me repeat it: we are not condemned to
universal iniquity. This makes possible a new way of dealing with events, which
allows you to find and generate creative answers in the face of the avoidable
suffering of so many innocent people; which implies accepting that, in many
situations, we are faced with a lack of will and decision to change things and
mainly priorities. We are asked for the ability to let ourselves be consulted and
to let the scales fall from the eyes and to see these realities with a new light, a
light that pushes us to action.
A rich world and a vibrant economy can and must end poverty. Dynamics
capable of including, feeding, caring for and dressing the least in society can be
generated and promoted instead of excluding them. We have to choose what and
to whom to give priority: whether to favor humanizing socio-economic
mechanisms for the whole of society or, on the contrary, foment a system that
ends up justifying certain practices that do nothing but increase the level of
injustice and violence social. The level of wealth and technique accumulated by
humanity, as well as the importance and value that human rights have acquired,
no longer allow excuses. We must be aware that we are all responsible. This
does not mean that we are all guilty, no; we are all responsible for doing
something.
If extreme poverty exists in the midst of wealth – in turn extreme – it is because
we have allowed the gap to widen to become the largest in history. These are
almost official figures: the fifty richest people in the world have an equity
equivalent to 2.2 trillion dollars. These fifty people alone could finance the
medical care and education of every poor child in the world, either through taxes
or through philanthropic initiatives, or both. These fifty people could save
millions of lives every year.
The globalization of indifference has called it “inaction”. St. John Paul II called it:
structures of sin. These structures find a favorable climate for their expansion
every time the common good is reduced or limited to certain sectors or, in the
case that brings us together here, when the economy and finance become ends
in themselves. It is the idolatry of money, greed and speculation. It is this
reality, now added to the exponential technological vertigo, which increases, at
steps never seen before, the speed of transactions and the possibility of
producing concentrated earnings without these are related to production
processes and not even to the real economy. Virtual communication favors this
type of thing.
Aristotle celebrates the invention of money and its use, but firmly condemns
financial speculation because in it “money itself becomes productive, losing its
true purpose which is to facilitate trade and production” (Politics I, 10, 1258 b).
In a similar way, and following the reason illuminated by faith, the Church’s
social doctrine celebrates the forms of government and the banks – many times
created to protect it: it is interesting to see the history of the pawnshops, the
banks created to favor and collaborate – when they fulfill their purpose, which is,
ultimately, to seek the common good, social justice, peace, as well as the
integral development of each individual, each human community and all people.
However, the Church warns that these beneficial institutions, both public and
private, can fall into sinful structures. I am using the definition of Saint John Paul
II.
The structures of sin today include repeated tax cuts for the wealthiest people,
justified many times in the name of investment and development; tax havens for
private and corporate earnings; and of course the possibility of corruption by
some of the world’s largest companies, not infrequently in tune with the
governing political sector.
Every year one hundred thousand million dollars, which should be paid in taxes
to finance medical assistance and education, accumulate in accounts of tax
havens, thus preventing the possibility of the worthy and sustained development
of all social actors.
Poor people in heavily indebted countries face overwhelming tax burdens and
cuts in social services as their governments pay debts contracted in an
insensitive and unsustainable way. In fact, the public debt contracted, in many
cases to boost and encourage the economic and productive development of a
country, can be constituted in a factor that damages and damages the social
fabric. When it ends up being oriented towards another goal.
Just as there is co-irresponsibility with regard to this damage caused to the
economy and society, there is also an inspiring and promising co-responsibility to
create a climate of fraternity and renewed trust that embraces the search for
innovative and humanizing solutions as a whole.
It is good to remember that there is no magical or invisible law that condemns
us to freezing or paralysis in the face of injustice. And even less an economic
rationality that presupposes that the human person is simply an accumulator of
individual benefits unrelated to his condition of being social.
The moral demands of Saint John Paul II in 1991 appear surprisingly current
today: «The principle that debts must be paid is certainly right; it is not lawful,
however, to ask or demand a payment, when this would actually impose political
choices such as to lead to hunger and to despair whole populations. Debts
incurred cannot be expected to be paid with unbearable sacrifices. In these
cases it is necessary – as is happening in part – to find ways of easing, extending
or even extinguishing the debt, compatible with the fundamental right of peoples
to subsistence and progress “(Centesimus annus, n. 35) .
In fact, even the Sustainable Development Goals approved unanimously by all
nations recognize this point – it is a human point – and urge all peoples to “help
countries achieve long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies
aimed at to encourage debt financing, debt relief and debt conversion, and to
address external debt and reduce the hardship of heavily indebted poor
countries “(SDG, 17, 4).
This must consist of the new forms of solidarity that unite us today, which unite
us here, if we think about the world of banking and finance: in helping to
develop the peoples left behind and in leveling among the countries that enjoy a
determined standards and level of development and those unable to guarantee
the minimum necessary for their populations. Solidarity and economy for the
union, not for the division, with the sound and clear awareness of
co-responsibility.
Practically from here it is necessary to affirm that the greatest structure of sin,
or the greatest structure of injustice, is the industry of war itself, since it is
money and time at the service of division and death. The world loses billions of
dollars every year in armaments and violence, sums that would end poverty and
illiteracy if they could be redeployed. Truly Isaiah spoke on behalf of God to all
mankind when he foretold the day of the Lord when “they will beat their swords
into plowshares, their spears into sickles” (Is 2: 4). Let’s follow him!
More than seventy years ago, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human
Rights committed all its Member States to take care of the poor in their land and
homes, and all over the world, that is, in the common home, the whole world is
the common house. Governments recognized that social protection, basic
income, medical care for all and universal education were inherent in
fundamental human dignity and, therefore, in fundamental human rights.
These economic rights and a safe environment for all are the most basic
measure of human solidarity. And the good news is that while in 1948 these
goals were not immediate, today, with a much more developed and
interconnected world, yes they are. Progress has been made in this direction.
You, who have kindly gathered here, are the world’s financial leaders and
economic experts. Together with your colleagues, help to establish global tax
rules, inform the global public about our economic situation and advise the
governments of the world on the budget. Know firsthand what the injustices of
our current global economy are, or the injustices of each country. Let’s work
together to end these injustices. When the multilateral credit organizations
provide advice to the various nations, it is important to keep in mind the high
concepts of fiscal justice, the public budgets responsible for their indebtedness
and, above all, an effective promotion, which makes them protagonists, of the
poorest in the social network. Remind them of their responsibility to offer
development assistance to poor nations and debt relief for highly indebted
nations. Remind them of the imperative to stop man-made climate change, as all
nations have promised, so that we don’t destroy the foundations of our common
home.
A new ethics presupposes being aware of the need for everyone to work
together to close tax shelters, avoid evasions and money laundering that rob
society, as well as to tell nations the importance of defending justice and the
common good above the interests of the most powerful companies and
multinationals – which end up suffocating and preventing local production -. The
present tense demands and requires moving from an insular and antagonistic
logic as the only authorized mechanism for the solution of conflicts, to another
capable of promoting the interconnection that favors a culture of encounter,
where the solid foundations of a new one are renewed international financial
architecture.
In this context, in which the development of some social and financial sectors
has reached levels never seen before, how important it is to remember the
words of Luke’s Gospel: “Anyone who was given much, much will be asked” (12,
48). How inspiring it is to listen to Saint Ambrose, who thinks with the Gospel:
“You (rich) do not give yours to the poor [when you do charity] …. but you’re
giving him what’s his. Because you are using the common property in use for all
“(Naboth 12, 53). This is the principle of the universal destination of goods, the
basis of economic and social justice, as well as of the common good.
I am delighted with your presence here today. We celebrate the opportunity to
know how to co-participate in the work of the Lord who can change the course of
history for the benefit of the dignity of each person today and tomorrow,
especially the excluded, and for the benefit of the great good of peace. We
humbly and wisely work together to serve international and inter-generational
justice. We have boundless hope in the teaching of Jesus that the poor in spirit
are blessed and happy, because of them is the Kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5: 3)
which begins already here and now.
Thank you! And please, I make a request, it is not a loan: do not forget to pray
for me, because this work that I have to do is not easy at all, and I invoke all the
blessings on you, on you and about your work.
I greet all of you present, and I greet especially all the people in humanity who
help their poor, sick, persecuted, and weak brothers and sisters, regardless of
religion, color, or race.
A year ago, my brother, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Aḥmad al-Tayyib, and I
signed a document on human fraternity in the capital of the United Arab
Emirates, Abu Dhabi. Today we celebrate the first anniversary of this great
humanitarian event, as we hope for a better future for humanity, a future free
from hatred, rancor, extremism, and terrorism, in which the values of peace,
love and fraternity prevail.
Today, on this first anniversary, I express my appreciation for the support offered
by the United Arab Emirates for the work of the Higher Committee for Human
Fraternity. I thank you for the initiative led by the Abrahamic House, and for the
presentation of the Human Fraternity Award.
I am therefore pleased to be able to participate in the presentation to the world
of the International Human Fraternity Award, in hopes of encouraging all
virtuous exemplars of men and women who in this world embody love through
actions and sacrifices made for the good of others, no matter how different they
may be in religion, or ethnic and cultural affiliation. And I ask Almighty God to
bless every effort that benefits the good of humanity and helps us to move
forward in fraternity. Thank you.
[…] There is a demand for inclusion written in the lives of the poor and those
who, as immigrants and refugees, see Rome as a port of salvation. Often their
eyes, incredibly, see the city with more expectation and hope than we Romans
who, because of the many daily problems we face, look at it in a pessimistic way,
as if it were destined to decline. No, Rome is a great resource of humanity!
“Rome is a city of unique beauty” (Celebration of First Vespers of Mary, Mother
of God, 31 December 2013: Insegnamenti I, 2 [2013], 804). Rome can and
must renew itself in the twofold sense of openness to the world and the inclusion
of all. The Jubilees also stimulate this, and that of 2025 is no longer far away.
[…]
[…] From this perspective, what the Villa Maria Group has done so far to meet
the needs of patients and their families, who are sometimes forced to migrate to
specialized centres far from their own home, is important. The commitment to
broadening the range of action with the acquisition or creation of new facilities
and the expansion of infrastructure, shows the will to ensure the necessary
equipment and comfort for the sick and their recovery. […]
[…] My dearest ones, hospitality is important. And it is also an important
ecumenical virtue. First of all it means recognizing that other Christians are truly
our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are brothers and sisters. Some might say:
“But he is Protestant, he is Orthodox …”. Yes, but we are all brothers and sisters
in Christ. It is not a one way act of generosity because when we welcome other
Christians, we welcome them as a gift that is given to us. Like the Maltese —
these Maltese were good — we are rewarded because we receive what the Holy
Spirit has sown in these brothers and sisters and this also becomes a gift for us
because the Holy Spirit too sows his graces everywhere. Welcoming Christians
from another tradition means firstly showing God’s love to them because they
are children of God — our brothers and sisters — and moreover, it means
welcoming what God has done in their lives. Ecumenical hospitality requires the
willingness to listen to others, to pay attention to their personal stories of faith
and to the respective history of their communities, communities of faith with
another tradition that is different from ours. Ecumenical hospitality involves the
desire to know the experience that other Christians have of God and waiting to
receive the spiritual gifts that follow from that. And this is a grace. To discover
this is a grace. I think of the past, of my land for example. When evangelical
missionaries arrived, a small group of Catholics would burn their tents. Not this:
it is not Christian. We are brothers and sisters, we are all brothers and sisters
and we have to show hospitality to each other.
Today, the sea that shipwrecked Paul and his companions is once again a place
of danger to the lives of other passengers. All over the world, men and women
migrants face risky voyages to flee from violence, to flee from war, to flee from
poverty. Just like Paul and his companions, they experience indifference, the
hostility of the desert, rivers, seas… They are often not allowed to disembark at
ports. But unfortunately, sometimes they are also met with far worse hostility
from mankind. They are exploited by criminal traffickers: today! They are
treated like numbers and like a threat by some government leaders: today!
Sometimes the lack of hospitality drives them back like a wave, to the poverty or
the very dangers they had fled.
As Christians we must work together to show migrants God’s love revealed by
Jesus Christ. We can and we must bear witness that there are not just hostility
and indifference but that every person is precious to God and loved by him. The
divisions that still exist among us prevent us from fully being a sign of God’s
love. Working together to exercise ecumenical hospitality, in particular to those
whose lives are most vulnerable, will make us all Christians— Protestants,
Orthodox, Catholics, all Christians — better human beings, better disciples and a
more united Christian people. It will bring us closer to unity which is God’s will
for all of us. […]