Pope to Court of Audit: May
Christ motivate you to serve for the Common Good
 |
| Pope Francis during the meeting with the Court of Audit (AFP) |
Pope Francis meets in audience members of Italy’s Court of
Audit, urging them to use their positions to serve the common good. The Court
of Audit is a constitutional institution in Italy that has consultative,
review, and jurisdictional functions, including monitoring public finances and
the administration of the state.
By Francesca Merlo
Pope Francis begins his address to the Court of Auditors by
reminding them that their institution incarnates an ethic aimed at promoting
the common good. This, he says “is not only an ideological concept” but one
that is linked to the conditions of the full development of all citizens. It is
for this reason that the State is called upon to be the “defender of each
person’s natural human rights”.
Pope Francis expresses the importance of applying three main
concepts to their work In order to obtain the common good: the fight against
corruption, a control of expenses, and attention to the poor.
Fighting corruption
Fighting corruption is essential, says the Pope, as
corruption “is one of society’s main wounds”, harming it both ethically and
economically. The Court of Auditors, her continues, is a “valuable instrument
to prevent and strike at illegality”. In fact, each steward must be evermore
aware of their “responsibility to operate with transparency and honesty”. In
this way, he explains, the “relationship between citizens and institutions” can
be improved.
So that all may benefit
“Strict control of expenditure curbs the temptation,
recurrent in those in political or administrative positions, to manage
resources not wisely, but for the purposes of clientele and mere electoral
consensus”, warns Pope Francis. The “rigorous control of expenses”, he says, is
one way of facilitating the strengthening of this relationship between citizens
and institutions. He explains that working for the common good involves sharing
resources so that everyone can benefit from them – especially, he says, the
poor, who suffer most from the irresponsible use and distribution of resources.
For this reason, says Pope Francis, the State is called upon
to perform a supervisory role, “duly sanctioning” unlawful conduct.
Serene and serious
Finally, Pope Francis encourages members of the Court of
Auditors to pursue their duties “with serenity and seriousness”, whilst always
being motivated by the knowledge that they are rendering a service - with an
aim to helping culture and legality grow within society.
He urges them to use Lent as a time to see Christ as a
“witness of truth and justice”, as His Word is an “inextinguishable source of
motivation to all those who dedicate themselves to the service of the common
good.”
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