Pope Francis and the common good

Pope Francis and the common good

(Vatican Radio)  On the morning of Friday 25th of September Pope Francis became the fourth Roman Pontiff to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Seán-Patrick Lovett is currently travelling with the Pope on his 10th Apostolic journey abroad and reports on his words to this assembly of nations:

Depression. That's what I felt as I listened to Pope Francis address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Not because of what he said or how he said it. On the contrary, the speech is a masterpiece in content and style. What depressed me was how much of what he said had already been said (in different ways and with different words) from the very same podium by three of his predecessors - Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Nostalgia. That's what I felt as I listened to Pope Francis quote from Paul VI's address to the United Nations in 1965. He did so three times. Phrases like the need to reflect on "our common destiny", to build modern civilization on "spiritual principles", and the eery reminder that "the real danger comes from man" - ring as relevantly today as they did when they were first pronounced, right here, exactly 50 years ago.

Hence the sense of depression. How is it that, despite these words of wisdom, encouragement, and solid common sense, the world is actually worse off now than it was then?

Pope Francis listed what he called the "scourges" that afflict our civilization today. It's an ugly list, and I hate repeating it, but I feel I have to. Listen carefully:

- religious and cultural persecution

- war and weapons proliferation

- irresponsibility towards the environment

- human trafficking

- the marketing of human organs

- the sexual exploitation of children

- the arms trade

- drug trafficking

- slave labour and prostitution

- money laundering

- international organized crime

- the culture of waste

All of these are ghastly examples of what Pope Francis describes so effectively as "the darkness of the disorder caused by unrestrained ambitions and collective forms of selfishness".

Prophetic. That's what I felt the Pope sounded like as he addressed the most powerful and influential men and women on our planet, when he told them (us) that "we cannot postpone certain agendas for the future"...that we need to "set aside partisan and ideological interests...and strive to serve the common good".

A lonely figure dressed in white, Pope Francis not only sounded like a prophet, he looked like one too. Unfortunately, we all know how the world treats prophets.

Here with Pope Francis at the United Nations in New York - I'm Seán-Patrick Lovett

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