Pope in Prato: fighting "the cancer of corruption, exploitatin of humans and in the workplace"
Prato (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis invited people to join him in fighting "the cancer of corruption. Human exploitation and working and the poison of lawlessness”, this morning in Prato (pictured), an industrial Tuscan city of 200 thousand inhabitants counts a large Chinese community, about 20 thousand people coming mainly from the province of Zhejiang - numerically the third in Europe –during the first stage of his visit to Florence.
The Chinese presence was highlighted by a flag and the word "welcome" in Chinese present in the cathedral square where shortly after 8 am, the Pope met with more than 20 thousand people. Speaking to the local Chinese community Francis recalled the tragedy that, two years ago, caused the death of five men and two women. "They lived and slept - he said - within the same hall where they worked." "This - he added – is a tragedy of exploitation and inhuman living conditions”.
In Prato the Pope returned to insist on the need for a Church that "goes forth". "May a renewed missionary passion be born in us" which impels one to "go forth", to "walk the rugged paths of today", to create a welcoming community, "contrasting the culture of indifference and waste" and therefore to integrate each person . "Of course going forth is risky- he said - but there is no faith without risk", to "support those who have lost their way," and "to welcome the wounded and those who no longer expect anything from life", but also of "clothe" ourselves in truth in order to fight evil.
"I came - his words - as a pilgrim, a passing pilgrim, a small thing, but at least there is the will, in this city rich in history and beauty, which through the centuries has earned the definition of 'City of Mary '. You are fortunate because you are in good hands! Maternal hands that are protecting, always open to receive. You are privileged because you are guarded by the relic of the "Sacred Belt" of the Virgin, which just now I was able to venerate. " In fact the Prato cathedral custodies what is believed to be Mary’s belt.
"This sign of blessing for your city - he continued - suggest some thoughts, also provoked by the Word of God. The first takes us back to the path of salvation that the people of Israel undertook, from slavery in Egypt to the promised land. Prior to their liberation, the Lord asked them to celebrate the Passover meal and consume it in a particular way: "your loins girded" (Exodus 12:11). To gird oneself at the hips means to ready oneself, prepare to leave, to set off on the road. Here the Lord calls us even today, more than ever: not to stay closed in indifference, but to open ourselves; to feel, all of us, called and prepared to leave everything to go forth and meet someone to share the joy of having met the Lord and also make the effort to walk their path with them. We are asked to go forth so that we can draw closer to the men and women of our time. Of course, it is risky to go forth, but without risk there is no faith. A faith that thinks of itself and is locked up in a building is not faithful to the Lord, who calls His people to take the initiative and get involved without fear. Faced with the sometimes frenetic transformations of recent years, there is a danger of being subjected to the whirlwind of events, losing the courage to seek the path. Thus we come to prefer the shelter of some safe haven and give up to go forth and bring the word of Jesus. But the Lord, who wants to reach those who do not love Him, urges us forward. He wants a renewed missionary passion to be born in us and entrusts us with a great responsibility. He asks the Church His bride to walk down the rugged paths of today, to accompany those who have lost their way; planting hope, where we welcome those who are wounded and no longer expect anything from life. The Lord requires this of us".
"He himself gives us the example, approaching us. The Sacred Belt, in fact, also refers to the gesture made by Jesus during his Passover meal, when his shook off his clothes at the hips, like a servant and washed the feet of his disciples (cf. Jn 13.4; Lk 12,37) . So that as he did, we too would do. We were served by God who has become our neighbor, in our turn to serve those around us. For a disciple of Jesus no one who is near can become distant. Indeed, there is no such thing as people who are too far away, only people we need to reach out to. Thank you for your community’s continued efforts to integrate each person, countering the culture of indifference and waste. In times marked by uncertainties and fears, are commendable your initiatives in support of the weakest and of families, you also agree to 'adopt'. As you strive to find the best practical possibilities of inclusion, do not be discouraged when faced with difficulties. Do not resign yourself in front of those situations of coexistence that seem difficult; always be motivated by the desire to establish real 'terms of proximity'. That's what proximity is, being as close as brothers. "
"There is yet another suggestion that I would like to offer. St. Paul invites Christians to wear particular armor, that of God. For he says to be clothed with the virtue necessary to address our real enemies, who are never the other, but 'evil spirits'. Foremost in this ideal armor is the truth "armor his loins with the truth," writes the Apostle (Eph 6:14). We must gird ourselves with the truth. You cannot build anything good on plots of deceit or lack of transparency. Searching for and choosing the truth is not always easy, but it is a vital decision, which must profoundly mark the existence of each individual and also of society, to be more correct, because it is more honest. The sacredness of every human being requires respect for everyone, welcome and dignified work, dignified work. Allow me to recall the five men and two women of Chinese nationality who died two years ago because of a fire in the industrial area of Prato. They lived and slept in the same place where they worked. In an area that had been converted into a small dormitory of cardboard and plaster, with bunk beds to exploit the height of the structure. It is a tragedy of exploitation and inhuman living conditions. The life of every community requires that we fight to the end the cancer of corruption. Human and labour exploitation, the poison of lawlessness. Within ourselves and with others, let us never tire of fighting for the truth".
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