Pope to Jesuit Social Justice and
Ecology Congress: Encourage hope
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| Pope Francis' Audience with Jesuit Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis addresses members of the Jesuit Social Justice
and Ecology Secretariat meeting in Rome to mark their 50th Anniversary.
By Vatican News
It was Jesuit Superior General, Fr Pedro Arrupe, who created
what was then called the Jesuit Secretariat for Socio-Economic Development, in
1969.
In his address on Thursday to what is now the Jesuit Social
Justice and Ecology Secretariat, Pope Francis said: “Father Pedro always
believed that the service of faith and the promotion of justice cannot be
separated, because they are radically united”.
Serving the poor
From the time of Saint Ignatius, the Society of Jesus was
called “to serve the poor”, said the Pope. In the poor we find “a privileged
place of encounter with Christ”, he continued. “It is a precious gift to meet
Him among those who are victims and impoverished”.
Addressing members of the Jesuit Secretariat directly, Pope
Francis urged them always to remain close to the most vulnerable. “Our broken
and divided world needs to build bridges”, he said. Human encounters allow us
to discover, in the most marginalized, the beautiful face of a brother and
sister, in whom we recognize ourselves, said the Pope.
Following Jesus
Following Christ today means serving “the crucified of our
time”, continued Pope Francis. He gave examples of the wars being fought
“piecemeal” around the world, of human trafficking, xenophobia, inequalities,
and “the selfish pursuit of national interests”.
To these, the Pope added the fact that “Never have we so
hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years”.
Not surprisingly, he said, “the deterioration of the environment and of society
affects the most vulnerable people on the planet”.
Following Jesus in these circumstances begins by
“accompanying the victims”, and continues in paying attention to human needs, “reflecting
on the reality of the world to unmask its evils”, and discovering the most
effective and creative responses.
A cultural revolution
Pope Francis insisted we go further: “We need a true
‘cultural revolution’”, he said, “a transformation of our collective gaze, our
attitudes, our ways of seeing ourselves”. We need to undertake “the slow work
of changing structures, through participation in public dialogue, where
decisions are made that affect the lives of the most vulnerable”.
The Pope urged those present to continue their “creative
commitment” in the service of the poorest and refugees, defending human rights
and providing social services in many fields. He encouraged them to
“collaborate in a network among yourselves and with other ecclesial and civil
organizations”, said Pope Francis, in order to ensure “the defense of the most
underprivileged in this increasingly globalized world”.
Paths to hope
Pope Francis concluded his address to members of the Jesuit
Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat with an invitation to hope. “If we pay
attention to human logic alone, we run the risk of despairing”, he said.
Instead, “all of us are witnesses that the humblest, the exploited, the poor
and excluded, can and do achieve a lot”, he added.
The social apostolate is not to solve problems, said the
Pope, “but to promote processes and to encourage hope”. These processes must
help people and communities to grow, to be aware of their rights, to apply
their talents, and create their own future, he said.
A challenge
Pope Francis ended with a challenge: “Share your hope
wherever you are, encourage, console, comfort and invigorate. Open up the
future, raise possibilities, generate alternatives, help to think and act
differently”.
“Walk singing”, said the Pope, “so that life’s struggles and
worries… don’t take away the joy that hope brings”.
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