Pope in Malta: 'The world needs care, not ideologies and populism'

New call for peace and disarmament in Ukraine and the Middle East "some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts." The hypothesis of a trip to Kiev "is on the table". Migrations: "They are the fruit of injustice. No to sordid agreements with criminals who enslave other human beings."

Malta (AsiaNews) - "In the night of the war that is fallen upon humanity, let us not allow the dream of peace to fade! ." Once agin from the island nation of Malta, on the first of a two day apostolic journey as a pilgrim in the "heart of the Mediterranean," Pope Francis turned his thoughts to the "darkness of war" in Ukraine with their load of "death, destruction and hatred."

In his first speech delievered in Valetta, the Pope said: "Once again, some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts, whereas ordinary people sense the need to build a future that, will either shared, or not be at all." These words followed the reply on the hypothesis of a trip to Kiev that "is on the table," the pontiff explained to a journalist who asked him about it during the flight to Malta.

In the Palace of the Grand Master - after private meetings with President George William Vella and Prime Minister Robert Abela - Francis addressed the authorities and the diplomatic corps, borrowing for his speech the image of the "rose of winds," often associated with Malta. He spoke of the north wind - the pope said - recalling that European Union of which Malta is a part, was "built so that a great family united in preserving peace lives there."

"But to ensure good social coexistence - Francis recalled - it is not enough to consolidate the sense of belonging; it is necessary to strengthen the foundations of common living, which rests on law and legality." Hence - in the country that was the scene in 2017 of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia - the invitation to commit oneself to "eradicating illegality and corruption," to cultivate "legality and transparency, which make it possible to erase thuggery and crime," to defend the beauty of creation "from the greed of money and from building speculation, which not only compromises the landscape, but the future."

Then there is the wind that blows from the west, that of "western lifestyles and thought", from which derive the values of freedom and democracy, "but also risks on which we must be vigilant, so that the lust for progress does not lead to detachment from the roots". "At the basis of solid growth - the pontiff commented - there is the human person, respect for life and dignity of every man and woman."

The southern wind that brings to Malta "so many brothers and sisters in search of hope" instead strongly poses the question of migration. "It is not a circumstance of the moment - Francis emphasized - but a sign of our times. It brings with it the burden of past injustice, exploitation, climatic changes and tragic conflicts, whose effects are now making themselves felt. From the poor and densely populated south, great numbers of people are moving to the wealthy north: this is a fact, and it cannot be ignored by adopting an anachronistic isolationism, which will not produce prosperity and integration." Migration is, however, a phenomenon that "calls for broad and shared responses. Some countries cannot take on the entire problem with the indifference of others. And civilized countries - the Pope warned - cannot sanction for their own interest murky agreements with criminals who enslave people. The Mediterranean needs coresponsibility on the part of Europe, in order to become a new theatre of solidarity and not the harbinger of a tragic shipwreck of civilization. The Mare Nostrum cannot become Europe's largest cemetery."

Francis recalled the case of St. Paul who was shipwrecked on these very shores: "He arrived unexpectedly came to these shores and found ready assistance. Then, bitten by a viper, he was thought to criminal, but then came to be considered a god because he suffered no ill effects from it (cf. Acts 28:3-6). Between these two extremes, the really important thing was missed: Paul was a man, a man in need of assistance. Humanity is first and foremost". Faced with those who continue to propagandize "the narrative of invasion," the pontiff responds that "the other is not a virus to be defended against, but a person to be welcomed. May we not allow indifference to stifle our dream of living as one!. Welcoming costs effort and requires renunciations, but they are for a greater good, for the life of man, which is God's treasure."

Finally, the wind from the east, the one - precisely - from which today come "the darkness of war." Pope Francis denounced the risk of "an extended cold war that can suffocate the lives of entire peoples and generations," he spoke of the "seductions of autocracy, of new imperialisms, of widespread aggression, of the inability to build bridges and to start from the poorest."

"Today - he returned to denounce from Malta - it is difficult to think with the logic of peace. War has in fact been prepared for some time by great investments in weaponry and a massive trade in arms. It is distressing to see how the enthusiasm for peace, which emerged after the Second World War, has faded in these recent decades, as has the progress of the international community, with a few powers who go ahead on their own account, seeking spaces and zones of influence. In this way, not only peace, but also so many great questions, like the fight against hunger and inequality are no longer on the list of the main political agendas."

"Global problems," he added, "require global solutions. Let us help one another to sense people’s yearning for peace. Let us work to lay the foundations of an ever more expanded dialogue. Let us go back to gathering in international peace conferences, where the theme of disarmament will have a central place, where our thoughts will turn to future generations! And where the enormous funds that continue to be destined to weaponry may be diverted to development, health care and nutrition."

Finally, Pope Francis invited not to forget the nearby Middle East, "Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and other contexts torn by problems and violence. May Malta, the heart of the Mediterranean, continue to foster the heartbeat of hope, care for life, acceptance of others, yearning for peace, with the help of the God whose name is peace."