Pope urges world not to be
indifferent to humanity’s woes
At the end of a meeting with UN Secretary-general, Antonio
Guterres, in the Vatican, Pope Francis delivered a video message, stressing the
urgent need to address the emergencies facing the world. After the Pope,
Guterres also delivered a video message.
By Robin Gomes
Pope Francis is calling on the world not to close its eyes
or look the other way in the face of the many woes, pain and wounds afflicting
mankind but to unite and work to build a peaceful world, saying “what
really counts in life is love”.
The Pope issued the video message at the end of his meeting
with the UN Secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, in the Vatican.
“It is good that this meeting of ours takes place in the
days leading up to Christmas,” the Pope says in the presence of Guterres.
“These are days when our eyes are turned to heaven to entrust to God the people
and situations we hold most dear. In this gaze we recognize ourselves as
children of one Father, brothers and sisters,” he says speaking in his native
Spanish.
Woes plaguing humanity
“We cannot and we must not look the other way in the face of
injustice, inequality, the scandal of hunger in the world, of poverty, of
children who die because they lack water, food and necessary healthcare,” the
Pope says.
He recalls men and women who are forced to leave their
countries because of conflicts, violence, poverty or climate change and who
often meet a sad fate. He urges the world to unite in the fight against
every kind of abuse of children and overcome indifference in the face of
attacks against human dignity and human life, including the unborn.
Misuse of religion
“We cannot, we must not look the other way when believers of
various faiths are persecuted in different parts of the world,” he
says. “The use of religion to incite hatred, violence, oppression,
extremism and blind fanaticism, as well as to force people into exile and
marginalization,” he says, “cries out for vengeance before God.”
Nuclear weapons
Pope Francis also denounces the arms race and nuclear
rearmament saying, they “also cry out for vengeance before God”. “The use
as well as possession of nuclear weapons”, he says, “is also immoral, adding
“even the mere danger of an accident represents a grim threat to humanity”.
The Holy Father urges that the world not be indifferent to
the many wars that continue to be fought and which kill so many innocent people.
International understanding
In order to build a peaceful world, he says, it is
indispensable that there be confidence in dialogue between people and between
nations, in multilateralism, in the role of international organisations and in
diplomacy as a tool to strengthen understanding and agreement.
Caring for our Common Home
Pope Francis also addresses the care of the created world,
urging all to “take care of our land which, generation after generation, has
been entrusted to us by God in our custody so that we may cultivate it and
bequeath it to our children”. He stressed the urgency and need for
commitment “to reduce polluting emissions and to an integral ecology
saying, “let us do something before it is too late!”
In his video message, the Holy Father also calls on the
international community to listen to the young people who “help us to become
aware of what is happening in the world today and ask us to be peacemakers and
builders, together and not alone, of a more human and just civilization”.
“Christmas, in its genuine simplicity, reminds us that what
really counts in life is love,” the Pope concludes.
After the Pope, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres also
delivered a video message, highlighting the “clear moral voice” of the Pope on
issues that are at the very heart of the United Nations mandate .
Please find below the full text of the
Secretary-General’s comments:
Your Holiness, thank you for your very warm welcome.
You are a messenger for hope and humanity – for reducing
human suffering and promoting human dignity. Your clear moral voice
shines through – whether you are speaking out on the plight of the most
vulnerable, including refugees and migrants … confronting poverty and
inequalities … appealing for disarmament… building bridges between communities
… and, of course, highlighting the climate emergency through your historic
encyclical, ‘Laudato Si’, and so many other vital efforts.
These messages coincide with the core values of the United
Nations Charter – namely to reaffirm the dignity and worth of the human
person. To promote love of people and care for our planet. To
uphold our common humanity and protect our common home. Our world needs that
more than ever.
Coming to Rome from the COP25 in Madrid, I call on all
countries around the globe to commit to carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with
what the scientific community tells us is necessary to rescue the
planet.
Your Holiness, I am grateful for your exceptional global
engagement and strong support for the work of the United Nations, including
your memorable visit to UN headquarters in 2015, as the world reached agreement
on the Sustainable Development Goals, our blueprint for a fair
globalization.
Our meeting is especially meaningful during this Christmas
season. This is a time of peace and goodwill and I am sad to witness
Christian communities – including some of the world’s oldest - unable to
celebrate Christmas in safety.
Tragically we see jews being murdered in synagogues, their
gravestones defaced with swastikas; Muslims gunned down in mosques, their
religious sites vandalized; Christians killed at prayers, their churches
torched. We need to do more to promote mutual understanding and tackle
rising hatred.
Your Holiness, I want to express my deep appreciation for
your extraordinary service in promoting interfaith relations – including your
landmark declaration with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar on “human fraternity for
world peace and living together”.
This declaration is extremely important when we see such
dramatic attacks on religious freedom and the lives of believers. The
United Nations has launched a Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites and a
strategy to combat hate speech. In these turbulent and trying times, we
must stand together for peace and harmony.
That is the spirit of this season. And it is reflected
in your vision, guidance and example. My deepest thanks to you, your
Holiness, and my best wishes, to all those celebrating, for a Christmas in
peace and a blessed new year.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét