"It is terrible for such a beautiful land to be ruined this way," said the pope as he arrived in a region scarred by dioxin caused by toxic and radioactive waste buried by the Camorra. "Whoever becomes God's friend, loves his brothers, commits himself to safeguarding their life and health, as well as the environment and nature."

Caserta (AsiaNews) - In order to "attain" the Kingdom of God, we must have "the courage to say no to evil, no to violence, no to oppression," and become "God's friend," love our "brothers," and commit ourselves "to safeguarding their life and health as well as the environment and nature," said the pope from Caserta, where he paid a short visit this afternoon.

Located in southern Italy, the city is the capital of a fertile land scarred by dioxin caused by the burial of toxic and radioactive waste by the Camorra, an organised crime syndicate. Indeed, "It is terrible for such a beautiful land to be ruined this way," Francis said on the helicopter that brought him.

The pontiff does not mention the Camorra, which killed Fr Giuseppe Diana, a parish priest in Casal di Principe, not far from here, 20 years ago. Yet, "Everyone knows the name of these forms of corruption and lawlessness," he said.

As he went on, the Holy Father urged people not to lose hope. "I know that you are suffering - these are the last words of the homily - but have hope. Hope does not disappoint and as I like to repeat: do not let anyone take away hope from you."

Among the more than 200,000 people who attended the Mass celebrated in Piazza Carlo III, Italy's largest square, in front of the Royal Palace of Caserta, there were many immigrants employed locally as evinced by the various flags people carried: Argentinian flags, Polish flags, and the yellow and blue flags waved by Ukrainians who released doves when the pope went by. A large number of Senegalese with Imam Youssou Niang were also present.

In his homily, the pope spoke about the parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price, whose main characters are a poor farmhand and a wealthy merchant. "For both, the final outcome is the same: the discovery of something valuable; a treasure for one, and s pearl of great value for the other. Both are united by a common sentiment: the surprise and joy of having their wishes met. In the end, both of them do not hesitate to sell everything in order to buy the treasure they found. Through these two parables Jesus teaches what the kingdom of heaven is, how we can find it, and what to do to attain it".

"What is the kingdom of heaven? Jesus does not try to explain it. [. . .] The two parables that we want to reflect upon tell us that the Kingdom of God becomes manifest in Jesus' very person. He is the hidden treasure; he is the pearl of great price. We can understand the joy of the farmer and the merchant: they found [the treasure]! It is our joy when we find the closeness and presence of Jesus in our lives. This presence transforms our lives and makes us sensitive to the needs of our brothers, a presence that invites us to accept each other's presence, even that of foreigners and immigrants. It is a welcoming presence; it is a joyful presence; is a fruitful presence. So is the kingdom within us."

"And you," he said, "can ask me: But Father how do we find the Kingdom of God? Each of us has a particular path. Some look forward to the encounter with Jesus, desire it, seek it out over a long period of time, as the parable of the merchant shows. For others, it comes suddenly, almost by accident, as in the parable of the farmhand. This tells us that God allows himself to be found because he is the first one who wants to meet us and first one who tries to meet us. He came in order to be 'God with us'. Jesus is among us, here and now, when you got together. The Lord is here. He is the one who is looking for us and allows himself to be found by those who do not seek him. He fascinates us, we are conquered. It is a joy to leave behind our usual, sometimes dry and apathetic way of life to embrace the Gospel, and be guided by the new logic of love and humble and disinterested service."

Finally, "What do you do to attain the kingdom of God? On this point, Jesus is very clear: enthusiasm and the joy of discovery are not enough. We must place the precious pearl of the kingdom before every other earthly good; we need to put God first in our lives, preferring him to everything else. Giving God first place means having the courage to say no to evil, no to violence, no to oppression, in order to live a life of service to others and in favour of the law and the common good."

"When a person finds God, the true treasure, he gives up a selfish lifestyle and tries to share with others the love that comes from God. Whoever becomes God's friend, loves his brothers, commits himself to safeguarding their life and health, as well as the environment and nature. I know that you suffer for this reason.  Today, when I arrived, one of you told me: Father, give us hope! But I cannot give you hope; I can tell you where Jesus is there is hope."

"This is particularly important in your beautiful land, which needs to be protected and preserved, which requires the courage to say no to every form of corruption and lawlessness. We all know the name of these forms of corruption and lawlessness; it requires all of us to be servants of the truth and adopt in every situation the evangelical way of life, which manifested itself in the gift of giving oneself and caring for the poor and those who are excluded."

"The poor and those who are excluded fill the Bible. The Lord says, 'But you do this, do this . . . I do not care! I care that the orphan is cared for, that the widow is taken care of, that those who are excluded are made welcomed. I care that the Creation is safeguarded. This is the kingdom of God."

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