Pope Francis Explains "...By virtue of her faith in Christ who made himself poor, the Church has always been concerned with the integral development of the most abandoned..."
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ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO PARLIAMENTS AND MAYORS OF THE DIOCESE OF CAMBRAI (FRANCE)
Hall of the Consistory
Friday, 21 October 2022
___________________________________
Excellence,
distinguished ladies and gentlemen!
I am pleased to welcome your Delegation of public administrators and representatives of the French State, coming from the north of France, and to greet, through you, your citizens as well. I am delighted with the initiative of the trip to Rome, which the Archbishop of Cambrai, Monsignor Vincent Dollmann, was able to welcome, in a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration between the civil and religious authorities of your region, for the good of all. .
TO PARLIAMENTS AND MAYORS OF THE DIOCESE OF CAMBRAI (FRANCE)
Hall of the Consistory
Friday, 21 October 2022
___________________________________
Excellence,
distinguished ladies and gentlemen!
I am pleased to welcome your Delegation of public administrators and representatives of the French State, coming from the north of France, and to greet, through you, your citizens as well. I am delighted with the initiative of the trip to Rome, which the Archbishop of Cambrai, Monsignor Vincent Dollmann, was able to welcome, in a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration between the civil and religious authorities of your region, for the good of all. .
Your region, once rich in coal mines, a strong metallurgical industry and renowned textile factories, suffered a terrible setback with the closure of the mines and factories developed during the industrial revolution of the late nineteenth century. Unfortunately, the economic crisis also unfortunately means impoverishment of the population of these regions. I know this is the challenge you have been facing for a few decades. In addition to the priority concern for social issues, I know that you also have the cultural dimension of your region at heart, aware of the fact that man does not feed only on bread, but also on the pride of his own roots that culture highlights, thus helping to remind everyone of their dignity.
It is precisely in these spheres of social and cultural action that you can find yourself, whatever your political affiliation. By giving precedence to the essential needs of your citizens too often overlooked in favor of fashionable topics that have less to do with their daily life, you can demonstrate a willingness to be at the service of those who have elected you and who have placed in you. their trust. The democratic and representative method should also allow you to bring the aspirations and real needs of the population of your territory to the attention of the highest authorities, far from any ideology or media pressure. Ideologies and media pressure ruin reality: ideologies because they distill it and make it lose its entity; and media pressure because they lead to "make up" and make it inauthentic in its expression.
In the social field, so vast, I would just like to encourage you with two words related to current events: welcome and care.
First of all, the reception of the most disadvantaged, first of all migrants - and you know how crucial this issue is and how much I care -; but I also think about people with disabilities. They need more facilities to facilitate their lives and that of their loved ones and, above all, to show the respect that is due to them. May the provisions on inclusion allow many of them to have a place in the world of work. It is more than ever necessary to continue to have access to work as a priority ... for everyone! (cf. Laudato si ', 127).
With regard to care, I am thinking in particular of the attention to be paid to the elderly in retirement homes, and to people at the end of their lives, who must be accompanied through the development of palliative care. The operators, by nature, have the vocation to provide care and relief, not always being able to heal, but we cannot ask the operators to kill their patients, which is a bit like the program of the throwaway culture: it is discarded, it is not needed, use and cast, it is discarded. If we kill with justifications, we will end up killing more and more (see Press conference on return from Kazakhstan, 15 September 2022). This is geometric progression. I dare to hope that, on such essential issues, the debate can be conducted in truth to bring life to its natural end. And don't get involved in this throwaway culture that is almost everywhere.
The cultural sphere is, in turn, an important factor of unity in the measure in which it presents itself as the fruit of a common past, of a history lived in lands that are yours, that you love and where the Church has never been absent. . Your region has been the scene of events that have shaped it and that it is up to you to enhance it to pass on its legacy to future generations. The events of the past have in fact contributed to the history and literature, as well as to the political and economic prospects of the entire country. We are exploiting the legacy of the past and many times we forget that we must give another inheritance to those who come later: the inheritance is double, the one we have received and the one we must give. And this cultural, social, intellectual heritage must be transmitted, enriched, transmitted together with what you have enriched what you have received.
Finally, I repeat to you that it is a joy for me to see how you, who have responsibilities in the economic and social fields, are interested in the message of the Church on issues that we share, and how you are aware of the role you have to play through commitment to the service of By virtue of her faith in Christ who made himself poor, the Church has always been concerned with the integral development of the most abandoned in society (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 186), and you can count on her help. Together with you, it seeks to reach migrants, the elderly and the sick, in other words, all those who are "left behind", whose greatest poverty is undoubtedly the exclusion and loneliness that derives from it. And, with regard to migrants, we must not forget that the migrant must be welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated. Do not leave the migrant without integration, because this is a danger. The four steps: welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated.
I thank you again for your visit. I ask God to inspire your projects and initiatives for the common good of your region and to assist you in their realization. May God bless you all!
It is precisely in these spheres of social and cultural action that you can find yourself, whatever your political affiliation. By giving precedence to the essential needs of your citizens too often overlooked in favor of fashionable topics that have less to do with their daily life, you can demonstrate a willingness to be at the service of those who have elected you and who have placed in you. their trust. The democratic and representative method should also allow you to bring the aspirations and real needs of the population of your territory to the attention of the highest authorities, far from any ideology or media pressure. Ideologies and media pressure ruin reality: ideologies because they distill it and make it lose its entity; and media pressure because they lead to "make up" and make it inauthentic in its expression.
In the social field, so vast, I would just like to encourage you with two words related to current events: welcome and care.
First of all, the reception of the most disadvantaged, first of all migrants - and you know how crucial this issue is and how much I care -; but I also think about people with disabilities. They need more facilities to facilitate their lives and that of their loved ones and, above all, to show the respect that is due to them. May the provisions on inclusion allow many of them to have a place in the world of work. It is more than ever necessary to continue to have access to work as a priority ... for everyone! (cf. Laudato si ', 127).
With regard to care, I am thinking in particular of the attention to be paid to the elderly in retirement homes, and to people at the end of their lives, who must be accompanied through the development of palliative care. The operators, by nature, have the vocation to provide care and relief, not always being able to heal, but we cannot ask the operators to kill their patients, which is a bit like the program of the throwaway culture: it is discarded, it is not needed, use and cast, it is discarded. If we kill with justifications, we will end up killing more and more (see Press conference on return from Kazakhstan, 15 September 2022). This is geometric progression. I dare to hope that, on such essential issues, the debate can be conducted in truth to bring life to its natural end. And don't get involved in this throwaway culture that is almost everywhere.
The cultural sphere is, in turn, an important factor of unity in the measure in which it presents itself as the fruit of a common past, of a history lived in lands that are yours, that you love and where the Church has never been absent. . Your region has been the scene of events that have shaped it and that it is up to you to enhance it to pass on its legacy to future generations. The events of the past have in fact contributed to the history and literature, as well as to the political and economic prospects of the entire country. We are exploiting the legacy of the past and many times we forget that we must give another inheritance to those who come later: the inheritance is double, the one we have received and the one we must give. And this cultural, social, intellectual heritage must be transmitted, enriched, transmitted together with what you have enriched what you have received.
Finally, I repeat to you that it is a joy for me to see how you, who have responsibilities in the economic and social fields, are interested in the message of the Church on issues that we share, and how you are aware of the role you have to play through commitment to the service of By virtue of her faith in Christ who made himself poor, the Church has always been concerned with the integral development of the most abandoned in society (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 186), and you can count on her help. Together with you, it seeks to reach migrants, the elderly and the sick, in other words, all those who are "left behind", whose greatest poverty is undoubtedly the exclusion and loneliness that derives from it. And, with regard to migrants, we must not forget that the migrant must be welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated. Do not leave the migrant without integration, because this is a danger. The four steps: welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated.
I thank you again for your visit. I ask God to inspire your projects and initiatives for the common good of your region and to assist you in their realization. May God bless you all!
Source: Vatican.va
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