1
"Time flies",
we say, because...
we don 't really understand
what time is.
Days go by,
seasons, years, centuries,
we 're young,
we get old, we die.
We're all subject
to time, but...
we have no control over it.
We 're less in control
than We'd like to think,
anyway:
Earthquakes, oods,
hurricanes wash over us,
but even worse
than those natural disasters
are our self-made ones,
wars, famines, violence,
terrorism,
nuclear catastrophes.
150 species die out
every single day
as a consequence
of our actions.
In another couple of
generations,
all sorts of plants,
birds, fish and insects
will be extinct...
forever.
Soon we 7/ number 8 billion
people on our planet,
more than 1 billion
of them hungry.
There are ways to lift them
out of poverty, only...
this is not happening.
So, what can we do?
How should we live... today?
How can we live in peace,
with each other,
with our planet?
One man had radical answers
to all these questions.
He lived here:
in this small town
in the Umbrian mountains
of central ltaly,
800 years ago:
Saint Francis...of Assisi.
He was a revolutionary,
not only of Christianity,
but of humankind at large.
In this basilica,
erected in his honor
shortly after he died,
we nd a series
of colorful frescoes,
painted...
by the great Master Giotto,
which tell the life
of the saint,
like in a huge sacred
comic strip.
In this image,
we see a decisive moment.
Francis is praying
in an abandoned chapel,
urgently searching for
a better purpose in his life.
The prospect of just...
inheriting the business
of his father,
a rich merchant in Assisi,
frightens him.
Suddenly, he hears a voice
speak to him from the cross.
"Francis, go and restore...
my house!
It is falling into...
ruins... "
"Restore my house",
what could that mean?
Was he asked to restore...
the church itself?
lt dawns on Francis
that a fundamental change
can only be brought about
by taking the Gospel...
seriously.
He decides to live his life
in total poverty,
without any possessions,
in solidarity with the poor,
the sick and the outcast,
like Jesus,
as a sign that a complete...
transformation of attitudes
is... needed.
He and his order will give
an example for
a new brotherhood of men
dedicated to the common good.
And isn't that exactly
what is needed today?
Good evening, all of you.
You came walking here,
making yourway
through the city
from all sides.
The people who saw you,
asked themselves:
"What are they doing?"
"We walk with Christ
to go
and celebrate the Father."
In our city,
there are families
that are divided,
hearts that have grown apart.
But we are brothers and lwant
to ask you for a sign.
A gesture that makes us feel
like brothers,
but at the same time
as 'yeast',
as a fermentation
of fraternity,
of brotherhood in our city.
Now, when we
hug like brothers,
giving each other fraternal
peace,
we give a sign
to this city of Buenos Aires
that it's better
to be united as brothers,
than be distant, estranged and
angry.
Now let's give each other
a brotherly embrace.
Good evening!
You know
that the conclave had to
give a Bishop to Rome.
It seems that
my brother Cardinals
went almost to the end of the
world to find one.
But here we are.
Yes here we are,
all of us.
With great expectations...
of the rst Pope
from the Americas.
The first.
from the Southern hemisphere.
The rst Jesuit.
But most of all...
the first Pope ever
to choose the name of Francis.
What is it going to take
to blow a Franciscan breeze
into the world again,
other than courage
and humility?
The world today
is mostly deaf.
And I think that among
ourselves, the priests,
there are many deaf ones.
I'm talking about getting
involved in people's lives,
lam talking about closeness.
Talk little,
listen a lot,
sayjust enough,
and always look people in the
eye.
This closeness of a priest
reflects an attitude
of spiritual tenderness,
which is what God has for us.
Why did you want to be Pope?
Do you know what it means
when a person
doesn't really love himself?
Somebody who has the desire
to become Pope,
doesn't like himself.
And God doesn't bless him.
No, l neverwanted to become
Pope.
Is that okay?
You, Francis, why
have you renounced
the riches of a Pope,
like a luxurious apartment,
Of an enormous car?
Instead you prefer
a small apartment nearby,
and you even
take the bus for bishops.
Why have you
renounced to wealth?
Well,
I believe that
our times tell us
of such poverty all over the
world,
and that is a scandal!
In a world where
we have such riches,
so many resources
for giving food to everybody,
you cannot understand
how there can be
so many hungry children,
so many children without
education,
so many poor!
The poverty today
is an outrage!
We must all consider
if we can't become
a little bit poorer.
This is something we all must
do:
not have so many things,
and become a bit poorer.
In the first interview I gave,
in which I saluted the
journalists
who covered the conclave,
three years ago,
a declaration
came straight from my heart:
How much I wanted
a poor church for the poor!
Jesus tells us in the Gospel
that no one can serve two
masters.
We either serve God
orwe serve money.
And the big temptation
that was felt
throughout history
by Christians, by man,
and by the Church,
has always been wealth.
In the Church there are men,
who have yielded,
and are still yielding
to those temptations.
Dear Brothers.
It is good
to think of the Roman Curia
as a small model
of the Church,
or as a 'body'
that strives seriously, every
day,
to be more alive,
more healthy, more harmonious
and more united in itself
and with Christ.
However, since the Curia is a
dynamic body,
it cannot live without
nourishment
and without healing.
Like any body,
like any human body,
it is also
exposed to diseases,
to malfunctioning,
to infirmity.
Here
I'd like to mention
some of these
probable diseases.
There are diseases and
temptations
that weaken our service to the
Lord.
Let's begin with the disease
of thinking we are 'immortal',
'immune',
or downright 'indispensable',
neglecting the need
for regular check-ups.
A Curia which is not
self-critical,
which doesn't update
or seeks to improve itself,
is a sick body.
The disease of rivalry
and vaingloriousness...
The disease of 'closed
circles'. ..
The disease ofa lugubrious
face...
The disease of
'existential schizophrenia.
The 'spiritual Alzheimer's
disease'...
And lastly:
The disease of 'hoarding'.
When an apostle tries to fill
an existential void
in his heart
by accumulating
material goods,
but only in order to feel
secure.
As long as there's a church
that places its hope
on wealth,
Jesus
is not there.
I say it again:
as long as the church
is placing its hope on wealth,
Jesus is not there.
It's an NGO
for charity or culture,
but it's not the church of
Jesus.
Poverty is at the center
of the gospel!
In 1970,
I had to travel
to a meeting
of teachers for novices.
I'm talking about 1970.
In the city where this took
place
they gave me a tour,
and for the first time
I saw a gated community.
A protected neighborhood,
separated from the rest.
I could not understand that,
because in Argentina
I had not yet seen this.
Today they have lots of those.
That is the effect!
We take a small land for
ourselves,
for a small group,
and the rest have to get by
with the scraps
of Mother Earth
that we left behind.
Dear Brothers and Sisters.
Good morning!
How good is it to be welcomed
with love, generosity and joy.
When we're generous
in welcoming people,
and sharing with them
some food, a place
in our homes, our time,
we no longer remain poor,
we are enriched.
I know when someone who needs
food
knocks at your door
you always find a way
ofsharing your meal.
As the saying goes:
"You can always add
more water to the beans."
Can one add
more water to the beans?!
Always?
Always!
The Pope is with you!
Holiness,
I'm a worker,
my name is Michele.
My status as worker,
cannot prevent me
from asking, Holiness,
for a plea, on behalf ofall
those who have ajob,
and we are less and less,
for all those who've lost it,
and they are many,
and for those
who haven't yet found work,
and those are plenty.
We need to believe
that work Is sacred.
Thankyou, Holiness.
Think about it
that among young people
of 25 or less
more than 40% don't have work!
What do young people do
without a job?
What future do they have?
What path of life do they
choose?
This is serious!
When you don't earn the bread,
you lose your dignity!
This lack of work...
This lack of work
robs us of dignity!
We must fight for this,
we must defend our dignity,
as citizens, as men and women,
as young people.
That is the tragedy
of our time.
We must not remain silent.
No!
The way to escape consumerism,
this corruption,
this competitiveness,
this being enslaved to money,
is the concreteness
of day-to-day work,
is tangible reality!
I like to talk about the three
'T's:
'trabajo' ,
'tierra' and 'techo'.
'Roof' means home, family.
Recovering
this sense of family.
'Land' means work,
cultivating the land.
And work mean precisely
the most noble thing that man
has:
to imitate God with your hands
by creating!
Those three T's...
many of us take them
for granted:
enough to eat and drink,
a home, a steady work.
They're basic human rights
that everybody should have
access to.
However, because that is
not the case,
Pope Francis
in his rst year in ofce
My brother!
created a forum
of popular movements
and grassroots organizations,
representing farmers,
workers and indigenous people.
Now he visits them
a year later
on his home continent.
Sisters, brothers,
good evening.
I want to clarify,
that I am speaking
about common problems
of all Latin Americans
and generally
of humanity as a whole.
Do we recognize, in all
sincerity, that things are not
going well?
In a world where there are
so many farmers without land,
so many families
without a home,
so many workers
without rights,
so many persons
whose dignity is harmed?
Do we realize
that things don't go well,
when soil, water and air
and all living beings of
creation
are under permanent threat?
So, ifwe realize all this,
let's say it without fear:
we need,
and we want change!
We want change in our lives,
in our neighborhoods,
in our paychecks,
and in our everyday reality.
Let's say 'Nol'
to an economy
of exclusion and inequality
where money rules
instead of serving.
This economy kills!
This economy excludes.
The economy destroys Mother
Earth.
A mother and her children,
the common house and its
inhabitants
go together,
they go together.
Mother Earth,
'Sister Earth',
as Saint Francis called her.
That's why I started the
encyclical
with the hymn
of Saint Francis.
They go together.
And iftoday you ask me:
for you,
who is the poorest
of the poorest or the poor,
I would say: Mother Earth!
We have plundered her!
We have abused her!
in June 2015, something
unprecedented is happening:
A letter by a pope
is read by the entire world,
not only by Catholics
or Christians.
in his encyclical
on the environment,
subtitled "On Care
for our Common Home",
Pope Francis urges us
to understand
that protecting the planet
is our most
pressing task today.
it is not a coincidence
that "Laudato Si" comes out
a few months before
the much anticipated Summit
on Climate Control in Paris.
The world is stunned.
Who would have expected
the Vatican to be so explicit
and to denounce
the reckless exploitation
of our planet so directly,
backed up so thoroughly
by facts and numbers?
Like on a big canvas,
the Pope's concerns
are even projected
right onto the facade
of St. Peter's Basilica.
The theology
contained in 'Laudato Si'
is in dialogue with science.
Today, well never,
could you practice theology
without a dialogue
with science.
More than that:
God gave us the capacity
for investigation,
the intellectual ability
to look for truths.
Obviously
the biblical story of creation
is a mythical
form of expression
to explain what happened.
But it is a development,
an evolution.
God, when
he sent Man to dominate the
Earth,
entrusted something
uncultivated to him.
So, man began
transforming the uncultivated
into something cultivated.
This is what we understand
as progress in science,
in art,
in technology,
in scientific research,
that man is transforming
this not-knowing, this lack of
culture into culture.
We are all called upon,
notjust Adam and Eve,
all of us, to create culture.
But when someone feels
that he owns this culture
and feels all-powerful,
the temptation arises
to go further,
and destroy the culture.
Think of the feat
of the discovery of nuclear
energy;
and think of Hiroshima.
In all religions
the environment
is a fundamental good.
Its abuse and destruction,
however,
are accompanied
by a continuous process
of exclusion.
The poorest
are the ones who suffer most
from the attacks
for three serious reasons:
they are discarded by society,
forced at the same time
to live on the leftovers,
and have to suffer unjustly
from the abuse of the
environment.
These phenomena correspond
to today's widespread
and quietly growing
'culture of waste'.
This is a shame
for each and every one of us!
And we are all responsible!
No one can say:
"I have nothing to do with
this."
We're all responsible.
The 'law of nature',
ifwe call it that,
says that the world
should live in harmony,
that all things
should be in harmony,
the entire creation.
So things that go against
this harmony of creation
are bad!
I think for instance
of water, contaminated
by mining activities
that spill arsenic
and cyanide,
just an example.
All this to the effect that
the surrounding area,
for kilometers,
offers its population water
that caused diseases.
But the government,
allowed that to happen!
So, do I resist fighting
the law that allowed it?
Yes.
I'm protecting a greater good!
The health of that population
and the overall good of
humanity.
The common good,
that's what Saint Francis
had in mind.
The unison and solidarity
of all humanity before God.
As well as our harmony
with nature, with. ,.
"Sister Mother Earth",
as he named her so tenderly...
Saint Francis was
a visionary in his time.
He realized very early on
that humanity's relationship
to nature
was getting out of balance,
that we were, well,
we are still...
today looking at our planet
upside down,
as its masters,
not its caretakers.
Saint Francis wrote the rst
poem in the Italian language.
In his
"Canticle of the... Sun"
he praised God
through all creation.
"Most High,
all-powerful, good Lord,
yours are the praises,
the glory...
the honor and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High,
do they belong.
Be praised, my Lord,
through all your creatures,
especially through my lord
Brother Sun,
who brings the day
and you give light
through him.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Sister Moon
and the stars.
ln heaven you formed them
clear and precious
and beautiful.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Brother Wind...
and through the air
cloudy and serene
and every kind of weather
through which
you give sustenance
to your creatures.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Sister Water,
which is very useful
and humble and precious
and chaste.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Brother Fire,
through whom you light
the night...
and he is beautiful
and playful
and robust and strong.
Praised be you, my Lord,
through Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains us
and governs us.
Saint Francis, in history,
stands for
a revitalization
of the figure of Christ,
in a completely radical,
absolute way.
His poverty, 'Sister Poverty'.
His love of the poor and the
sick,
and his care for them.
His patience
with people and with their
frailty,
including the frailty
of his brothers and disciples.
A man
of such patience and
understanding
then transforms
into a man of dialogue.
Something I want to point out
about dialogue,
of which Francis had a lot.
And I'll say it
in very simple words:
He was the apostle of the ear.
Knowing how to listen!
At times,
the speed of the modern world,
its frenzy,
keeps us from listening well
to what others are saying.
Someone is halfway through a
dialogue,
and we already interrupt
and want to answer
before the other one
has finished talking.
Not losing the capacity to
listen!
And Francis is a listener.
He listened
to the voice of God,
he listened
to the voice of the poor,
to the voice of the sick,
and to the voice of nature.
And he transformed all of this
into a way of life.
And I hope that the seed of
Francis
grows in many hearts.
Papa Francesco!
You know
who was first declared
a saint in the church?
A prisoner.
He was sentenced to death
next to Christ, who told him:
"Today you will be with me
in paradise!"
Society must learn
from this example of Christ!
We all need to receive
forgiveness.
But God tell us in the bible:
"When He forgives,
He forgets!"
And if I say: "This man is a
sinner, he did that!"
I'm sinning!
Because when He forgets,
who am I not to forget?
Living implies,
getting our feet dirty
from the dust-filled roads of
life.
It is painful to note
that people think
that only a few
need to be washed,
and don't realize
that yourweariness and pain,
yourwounds, are also the
wounds,
of an entire society.
The Lord shows this to us
clearly
with the help of a gesture:
He washes ourfeet
so we can come back to the
table.
A table
that is spread for all,
and to which
we all are invited.
All young people today
are idealists
in the good sense of the word.
But most young people
seek something.
Also when they make mistakes,
even serious mistakes,
lthink,
they're looking for something
else.
And even in their alienation
young people are expressing
their non-conformism
with the world
they have to live in.
They get estranged.
I'd even dare to say something
that some might not like,
about drug addiction.
When young people
fall victim to an addiction,
it's because there is in their
heart
a dissatisfaction.
The model of Francis
shows them a way,
a revolutionary path.
You don't have to be scared
of this world, because in the
Gospel,
when Jesus talks
aboutwhat he came
to bring to Earth,
he used language
just as strong.
A change
in the 'modus vivendi'
at that time, in a conformist
and self-satisfied society
that already cast aside,
rejected those,
that didn't belong
to Its social nucleus.
And Francis
obeyed that calling.
If today
a young person hears Francis,
he feels him touch his heart.
I only ask of God
that I won't become
indifferent to suffering,
so Death will not find me
empty and alone,
not having done enough.
I only ask of God
that I won't become
indifferent to injustice.
The first time we met
was 1969 in Cordoba.
I don't think
he'd seen me among
so many people.
But then
they opened the barrier
and helped me to go down.
And the Pope said,
"No, Maruca, I come to you!"
Then I stood still,
and gave him a hug, too.
He had recognized me from up
there.
That surprised me a lot.
lwas very grateful.
It's really a pity
that he doesn't have time
anymore.
But he has a different mission
here.
He's now the shepherd
of the whole world.
And with his charisma
he appeals not only to
Catholics.
You've seen that
he's the kind of person,
who speaks with everybody.
His life itself is a sermon.
God sends us the Pope that we
need for each stage of the
Earth.
Today, really,
we live with the accelerator
down from morning to night.
This ruins mental health,
spiritual health,
and physical health.
More so:
it affects
and destroys family,
and therefore society.
"0n the Seventh day,
He rested."
What the Jews
followed and still observe,
was to consider the Sabbath as
holy.
On Saturday you rest.
One day of the week,
that's the least!
Out of gratitude,
to worship God,
to spend time
with the family, to play,
to do all these things.
We are not machines!
So when we live
such a fast-paced life,
we lose
our most human gestures.
A husband forgets
the day he got engaged to his
wife,
parents forget
to caress their children
or the grandparents,
because there's no time
for a caress,
there's no time
for tenderness.
There's no time to enjoy life,
which is so beautiful!
Some of you
might say of course,
Father,
you speak like that
because you're not married.
Families have difficulties...
families, we quarrel.
And sometimes plates can fly,
and children bring, uh...
headaches.
Idon'twant to speak
about mother in laws.
In the family
there are indeed difficulties.
But those difficulties,
are overcome with love.
Division of hearts...
cannot overcome
any difficulty.
Never let the day end,
without making peace
with the family.
llike
to hear confession.
Nowadays I do it very little,
I can't.
In Buenos Aires,
I did it a lot,
and people came to confess.
When men orwomen came,
from a young marriage,
and told me about their
children,
I'd ask how many children they
had, they'd tell me,
and then I'd say:
"I have a question."
That scared them a bit.
"What is the priest
going to ask me!"
And the question was: "Do you
play with your children?"
lwant to ask
all fathers and mothers
who are listening:
"Do you play
with your children?
lwould like permission
to ask a delicate question:
How does Your Holiness
intend to confront
the question of the gay lobby?
If a person is gay,
and is searching for the Lord,
and has good will,
then who am ltojudge him?
We must be brothers to each
other...
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church
explains this beautifully.
It says: no one
should be marginalized
forthis,
they should be integrated
into society.
Women have a distinctly
different way of looking at
things than men.
I've had consultation meetings
about a given problem
with male members,
and then the same with female
members.
And the input of women
is extraordinarily rich!
It's necessary!
The world cannot move fonrvard
if there is no complementarity
or reciprocity
reciprocidad between men and
women.
Obviously,
the macho
and feminist movements
are of no help,
because they are isolated
movements.
The useful movements are those
based
on reciprocal
and complementary approaches.
We have to integrate women!
Because a world without
the leadership,
advice and vision of women
cannot advance.
Thank you, Holy Father,
foryour availability
under these circumstances.
You've spoken out very
forcefully
against the sexual abuse of
minors,
on behalf of the clergy.
You created
a special commission
to better deal with this
problem, at the level of the
universal church.
What would you do,
if a bishopjust didn't
respect these obligations?
The abuse of minors
is an offense so brutal, so...
We know it's a serious
problem everywhere,
but I'm concerned with the
Church!
A priest
who does this
betrays the body of the Lord!
Because this priest
must lead this boy or girl,
or these young people,
to holiness.
These young men and women
trust him,
and instead of leading them to
holiness,
he abuses them.
And this is extremely serious!
The Church
cannot remain
indifferent to this.
Towards pedophilia,
zero tolerance!
And the Church
must punish
such priests
who have that problem,
and bishops
must remove
from their priestly functions
anyone with that disease,
that tendency to pedophila,
and that includes
to support
the legal action
by the parents
before the civil courts.
There is no other way out of
this!
Zero tolerance,
because it's
a crime, no, worse!
It's leaving them alive, but
destroyed.
So many of you have lost
everything.
Idon't know
what to say to you,
only
to keep silence
and accompany you
in my heart, silently.
We are not alone.
We have Jesus,
our older brother.
And we also have
many brothers,
who at the moment
of catastrophe
came to our assistance.
Forgive me ifl have no other
words.
But with the strength
that Jesus gives us,
our older brother,
let us move fonnard.
As brothers,
let us walk together!
Human life is a road
that'll come to an end.
We all die a little every day.
Sometimes,
we avoid thinking about
our own death
and live as if
we're never going to die.
And this is
dangerous, as it doesn't lead
to wisdom.
Two weeks ago,
I got a letter
from the aunt of a boy,
Syears old.
He had cancer.
Terminal.
He told his Mom that he'd like
to talk to Pope Francis.
The mother let me know,
and Icalled.
He was sleeping.
So I left a message on his
mobile.
The next day I didn't call.
The boy said:
"The Pope was offended,
because I didn't answer his
call."
The next day I called again,
he slept, so I left a message.
And that made him happy.
Itried once more
the following day.
This time his mother answered
and said: "He's very sick.
I don't know
if he'll be able to talk."
And she put the phone on
loudspeaker,
I talked to him,
and he said: "Thank you, thank
you!"
A few hours later he died.
That boy knew he was going to
die,
he had the wisdom.
However,
he died, and I want
to underline this word:
he was reconciled with his own
death.
It's very wise to reconcile
ourselves
with the fact
that we will die.
So how do I think about my own
death?
Once I came close,
when lwas young.
l escaped the danger of dying,
but I know that
through the little deaths of
every day
one day...
lwill go.
When? Whenever the Lord wants,
however He wants.
But...
lam not eternal.
Nobody is,
only God.
"Why do the innocents suffer?"
Or the big question
that the great Dostoevsky
asked:
"Why do children suffer?"
It's a question
that we all ask ourselves.
And if you ask me why children
suffer,
the only thing I can say is:
"Look at the Child ofGod on a
cross."
I don't know what other answer
to give to you.
But let's talk about why God
allows it,
which is the core of the
question.
Quite simply, because
he created us as persons,
and as such: free!
God is respectful of freedom.
He allowed his son
to be killed on the cross.
The game of human freedom:
God risked a lot here!
ltwould more
dishonor man,
if God could take away his
freedom,
than
if man, with his freedom,
committed a crime.
And here
is the game of love!
Without freedom
we cannot love.
Because love implies a choice.
The ultimate love,
the parents' love for their
child, and vice versa,
the love of a couple,
between bride and groom,
the love for life,
the love of people
all imply an option:
Either I love, or I don't,
or I hate.
But if I didn't have
that freedom of choice,
I could not love.
Moshe Ha-Elion,
born in Thessaloniki, Greece.
After the German occupation
in April 1943,
he was deported to
Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Sonia Tunik-Geron,
born in Stolpce, formerly
Poland.
Afterthe German invasion In
1941,
she was deported
with her family
to the ghetto...
"Adam, where are you?"
Man, where are you?
What have you come to?
In this place,
the memorial to the Shoah,
we feel God's question
echo once more:
"Adam, where are you?"
In this call
there's all the sorrow of a
father, who has lost a son.
The Father knew the risk of
freedom.
He knew that his children
could get lost.
But perhaps
not even the Father
could have imagined so deep a
fall,
so profound an abyss!
Man, who are you?
Who corrupted you?
Who disfigured you?
Who infected you to assume
that you were the master
over good and evil?
Who convinced you
that you were God?
A great evil has befallen us,
as it never happened under the
sky.
Now, Lord, hear our prayers,
hear our pleas,
save us in your mercy.
Give us the grace
to be ashamed
of what we were able to do as
men!
Never again, Lord!
Never again.
We need to be on guard
against the sad danger
of the 'globalization of
indifference',
which leads us to slowly get
used to
the suffering of others,
as if itwas something normal.
It's tragic
that the rising number of
migrants
are not recognized as refugees
by international conventions.
We cannot remain indifferent
in front of this.
We don't have the right!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I have wanted to be with you
today,
and tell you that you are not
alone.
In these months and weeks
you have endured
much suffering
in your search for a better
life.
Many of you
have felt forced to flee
from situations of conflict
and persecution,
above all for the sake of your
children
and your little ones.
You've made big sacrifices
foryour families.
You know the sorrow
of having left behind
all that was dear to you.
And what is perhaps most
difficult:
without knowing
what the future might possibly
bring along.
God created mankind to be one
family.
When any of our brothers
and sisters suffer,
we are all affected.
We have come to call the
attention of the world
to this serious humanitarian
crisis,
and to plead
for its resolution.
We hope that
the world will pay attention
to this situation of tragic
needs,
that is truly desperate,
and that it will respond in a
way
These people
are victims of a global
injustice!
Why do they have to leave
their land?
Forwar, or hunger.
If we take a look at the
statistics...
Around 80%
of the world's riches
are in the hands
of less than 20% of humanity.
There is an inequality
in the economic balance,
and that inequality
marginalizes,
excludes, casts aside!
The process of integration is
difficult.
Obviously we are here facing
the challenge of differences.
And differences
always scare us
because they make us grow.
Uniformity
doesn't make us grow,
so it doesn't scare us.
Differences are creative,
they create tension,
and resolving this tension
moves humanity forward.
l have always said that
building walls
is not a solution.
We've seen,
in the last century,
the fall of one...
No, it resolves nothing!
We must build bridges,
bridges that are made
intelligently,
with dialogue and integration.
Closing the borders
solves nothing!
Because that, in the long run,
harms its own people.
Members of Congress.
l have the high privilege
and distinct honor of
presenting to you:
Pope Francis of the Holy See.
Honorable Members of Congress,
I am most grateful
foryour invitation
to address
this Joint Session of Congress
'in the land of the free
and the home of the brave'.
Ourworld
is facing
a refugee crisis
of a magnitude
not seen
since the Second World War.
This presents us with great
challenges
and many hard decisions.
On this continent, too,
thousands of persons
are led to travel north
in search of a better life
forthemselves,
and for their loved ones.
We must not be taken aback
by their numbers,
but rather view them as
persons,
seeing their faces
and listening
to their stories.
We, the people of this
continent,
are not fearful of foreigners,
because most of us
were once foreigners.
Let us remember
the Golden Rule:
"Do unto others, as you...
would have them do unto you."
If we want security,
let us give security.
lfwe want life,
let us give life.
lfwe want opportunities,
let us provide these
opportunities.
Being at the service
of dialogue and peace
also means being truly
determined
to minimize,
and in the long term,
to end
the many armed conflicts
throughout ourworld.
Here we have to ask ourselves:
Why...
are deadly weapons being sold
to those who plan
to inflict untold suffering
on individuals and society?
Sadly, the answer,
as we all know, is simply for
money.
Money that is
drenched in blood.
It is our duty
to stop the arms trade.
Pope Francis
has no weapons,
other than words.
But do words
still count today?
Some of the hard-boiled
American congressmen
were moved to tears.
Maybe because
there is a man who...
lives what he preaches.
We're smiling
here in the studio
at the looks of this car,
we are used to...
the big American dreadnoughts,
the limousines, the Chevy...
Suburbans and this is a...
a Mr. Bean car
by comparison and yeah,
it's gonna take him
around town.
Indeed,
Pope Francis' car
is not a status symbol.
lt's rathera signal
that we can
all get by with... less.
His status.,.
is that he says the truth,
that he cares
for the common good
and that...
he's into dialogue,
not confrontation.
He wants to bring about peace,
as a man of God,
together with other men
and women of God
here at Ground Zero...
the very symbol
against religious fanaticism.
800 years ago...
Saint Francis traveled
to the Holy Land,
during the Crusades,
the most ravaging war
of his time.
He put his life on the line,
to initiate... peace
between Christianity
and Islam.
Francis first tried
to convince the Christian
fighters and commanders,
to end the bloodshed.
And then, at great risk,
he walked directly
to the highest authority
of the lslamic world:
The Sultan of Egypt.
We don't know for sure
whether he just talked to him
or actually tried
to evangelize him.
The story goes
that the sultan,
wise as he was,
was very impressed
by the Saints fearlessness,
his, poverty
and his moral clarity.
So he listened to him,
let him go unharmed
and said when they parted:
"Pray to God for me,
to reveal to me
the law and the faith...
that is most pleasing to God. "
Each man learnt
from the other.
Here, Pope Francis,
on his journey...
to the Holy Land,
prays by the waters
of the river Jordan,
where Jesus was baptized.
Yesterday I had a dialogue
with the Grand Imam
of Al-Azhar of Egypt,
a Muslim, the greatest
representative of Sunni Islam.
And we were able to talk about
God very fraternally,
because we both understood
each other as brothers.
But never
I want to underline this:
never take a proselytizing
attitude!
Never.
There are some that say no,
that the God of Muslims
is not the same as ours...
We are children of Abraham!
Nobody can deny that.
And therefore we are brothers,
if we like it or not.
We are brothers!
How are you?
How are you?
I'm fine.
I'm glad to see you.
I'm glad to see you too.
Time flies on, whether...
we want it to, or not,
and even seems to be
accelerating.
Our world is in constant...
turmoil.
Even the truth has become
an endangered species
when... "alternative facts"
are governing the news
and cynicism, lies and
corruption are the political
order of the day.
In 2018,
the papacy of Pope Francis
is going into its sixth year.
More than most
of his predecessors
he has fearlessly moved
the church forward,
against much resistance.
The ancient town of Assisi
has now become...
a spiritual center
for all religions.
We. here, on the World Day
of Prayer for. .. peace.
The legacy of Saint Francis
lives on.
God does not see
with His eyes.
God sees with His heart.
And God's love
is the same
for each and every person.
No matter
what your religion is.
Even for an atheist
it's the same love.
When the final day comes,
and when there's
light enough on Earth
to see things as they are,
we will be in for a surprise!
Do you believe
that Mahatma Gandhi
or Martin Luther King
are less loved by God
than a priest or a nun?
God loves
and sees us all
with his heart.
And maybe
that's the only common bond
all men have,
the bond of God's love.
Other than that we are free.
Even free not to love him.
None of us is an island,
autonomous and independent
from others.
We can only build the future
together,
without excluding anyone.
How wonderful would it be
if the growth of scientific
and technological innovation
would come along
with more equality and social
inclusion.
it is our diversity that
makes us stronger...
and by working together,
we can do things much greater
than we can do as individuals.
How wonderful would it be,
while we discover faraway
planets,
to rediscover the needs
of the brothers and sisters,
who are orbiting around us.
Only by an education in
fraternity
towards a real solidarity
can we overcome
the 'culture of waste',
that doesn't just concern
food and goods,
but first of all people.
Please allow me to say it
clearly:
the more powerful you are,
the more your actions
will have an impact on people,
the more you are called to be
humble!
Otherwise, your power
will ruin you,
and you will ruin the others.
Tenderness is not weakness,
it is strength!
Tenderness makes us
use our eyes to see the other,
our ears to hear the other,
to listen to the cries of the
children,
the poor,
those who are afraid of the
future.
To also listen
to the silent cry
ofour common home,
our sick and polluted Earth.
We have so much to do,
and we must do it together.
In the darkness
of the conflicts
we're living through,
each of us
can become a bright candle to
remind us
that light will overcome
darkness,
and never
the otherway around.
To us Christians
the future has a name,
and its name is Hope.
It's the virtue of a heart
that doesn't look itself up,
that doesn't
dwell on the past,
and not only survives the
present,
but is able to see a tomorrow.
And one of the things
that helps others
in their lives
is the expression of beauty.
An artist
is an apostle of beauty,
who helps others live.
Let's think of all the artists
who achieved that.
But also all of us!
And if you ask me:
"Give me an example
of beauty,
simple everyday beauty,
with which we can help others
feel better
and be happier,"
two things come to my mind.
Asmile,
and a sense of humor.
The ability to smile!
A smile is the flower of the
heart,
especially when it is given
freely,
not for manipulative
and seductive aims.
Justasmile.
'A fresh smile'
as it's called in literature.
And the sense of humor.
Here | make a personal
confession.
Every day,
after my morning prayer,
l recite Saint Thomas More.
His "Prayer for good Humor"
'Sense of humor'
It starts in a way
that makes you laugh.
"Give me, O Lord, a good
digestion,
but also something to digest."
That's it.