Pope urges Rome not to fear goodness and charity
While visiting Rome’s Campidoglio, Capitol Hill, Francis recalls the city’s tradition of welcome. "Rome in a certain sense forces temporal and spiritual power to constantly dialogue, to collaborate on a permanent basis in mutual respect".
Rome (AsiaNews) - "Do not fear the goodness and charity!" Linked to the reception of migrants. It is the invitation that Pope Francis addressed today to the city of Rome during his visit this morning to Campidoglio, the seat of the Municipality of the Italian capital.
All Popes have crossed the Tiber on such a visit from Paul VI onwards, as they are also – according to the Catholic Church – the Bishop of Rome. Welcomed and accompanied by Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, Francis,, met with the administrators and councilors for over two and a half hours. He then appeared on a balcony above Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio greeted the Romans present and finally greeted the employees of the Municipality.
In his speech at the municipal council headquarters, the Pope recalled the role that the city played in its 2,800-year history in spreading culture and art throughout the world.
Rome also "has become the center of Catholicism over the centuries". "This city has welcomed students and pilgrims, tourists, refugees and migrants from every region of Italy and from many countries of the world. It has become a pole of attraction, a hinge between the continental north and the Mediterranean world, between the Latin and the Germanic civilizations, between the prerogatives and the powers reserved to the civil authorities and those proper to spiritual power. Indeed, it can be affirmed that, thanks to the strength of the Gospel words, that provident distinction was inaugurated here, in mutual and collaborative respect for the good of all, between civil and religious authority, which better conforms to the dignity of the human person and offers them spaces of freedom and participation ”.
“Rome, therefore, in a certain sense obliges the temporal and the spiritual power to constantly dialogue, to collaborate on a stable basis in mutual respect; and it also requires us to be creative, both in the daily weaving of good relationships, as in facing the numerous problems, which the management of such an immense heritage necessarily carries with it ”.
"Rome, a hospitable city, is called to face this epochal challenge in the wake of its noble history; to use its energies to welcome and integrate, to transform tensions and problems into opportunities for encounter and growth. Rome, fertilized by the blood of the Martyrs, knows how to draw from its culture, shaped by faith in Christ, the resources of creativity and charity necessary to overcome those fears that risk blocking the initiatives and possible paths. These could make the city flourish, unite and create opportunities for development, both civic and cultural, as well as economic and social. Do not fear goodness and charity! They are creative and generate a peaceful society, capable of multiplying forces, to tackle problems with seriousness and with anxiety, with greater dignity and respect for each and to open up new opportunities for development".
.png)
11/08/2017 20:05
