Pope: migrants, 'respect for the rights and dignity of all'
Francis celebrates Mass on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his visit to the island of Lampedusa. The "sterile hypocrisy of those who do not want to 'get their hands dirty'", is "a temptation that is also present in our day, which translates into a closure towards those who are entitled, like us, to security and a condition of dignified life, and that builds walls, real or imaginary, instead of bridges".
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The "sterile hypocrisy of those who do not want to 'get their hands dirty'", helping those in need, like migrants, is "a temptation that is also present in our day, which translates into a closure towards those who are entitled, like us, to security and a dignified state of life, and that builds walls, real or imaginary, instead of bridges ". An invitation to solidarity and a warning against selfishness were at the center of the Mass that Pope Francis celebrated today, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his visit to the island of Lampedusa.
In the basilica of St. Peter, with about 200 refugees and caregivers present, the Pope affirmed that "the right policy is that which is placed at the service of the person, of all persons concerned; which provides suitable solutions to guarantee security, respect for the rights and dignity of all; that knows how to look at the good of a country, taking into account that of other countries, in an increasingly interconnected world ".
Francis - who at the end of the celebration greeted the refugees present one by one - recalled that "five years ago, during my visit to Lampedusa, recalling the victims of the shipwrecks, I echoed the perennial appeal to human responsibility:" 'Where is your brother? The voice of his blood cries out to me, "says God. This is not a question addressed to others, it is a question addressed to me, to you, to each one of us" (Insegnamenti 1 [2013], vol 2, 23 ). Unfortunately, the answers to this appeal, even if generous, have not been sufficient, and today we are crying thousands of dead ".
"The Lord - he said - promises rest and release to all the oppressed in the world, but he needs us to make his promise effective. He needs our eyes to see the needs of brothers and sisters. He needs our hands to help. He needs our voice to denounce the injustices committed in the silence - sometimes complicit - of many. In fact, I should speak of many silences: the silence of common sense, the silence of 'its always been done like this', the silence of 'we' always opposed to 'you'. Above all, the Lord needs our heart to manifest God's merciful love for the least, the rejected, the abandoned, the marginalized ".
"In the face of today's migration challenges, the only sensible answer is that of solidarity and mercy; a response that does not make too many calculations, but requires a fair division of responsibilities, an honest and sincere evaluation of alternatives and prudent management ".
"The Psalmist has shown us the right attitude to assume in conscience before God:" I have chosen the way of fidelity, I have proposed your judgments "(Ps 119:30). A commitment of loyalty and right judgment that we hope to bring forward together with the rulers of the earth and people of good will. This is why we carefully follow the work of the international community to respond to the challenges posed by contemporary migrations, wisely harmonizing solidarity and subsidiarity and identifying resources and responsibilities ".
Finally, Francis concluded with some words said significantly in Spanish with which he expressed "gratitude" to the rescuers "for having embodied today the parable of the Good Samaritan, who stopped to save the life of the poor man struck by the bandits, without asking him where he was from, where he was going or for his documents ...: ". "I ask you to continue to be witnesses of hope in a world which every day becomes more obsessed with the present, with very little vision for the future and reluctant to share".
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11/08/2017 20:05
