Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) – On
Sunday afternoon the Pope visited the Sant'Egidio Community in the
Roman quarter of Trastevere. In his address, he commented that prayer
“preserves the anonymous man of the city from the temptations that
may also be ours: the 'protagonism' of those who think that the world
revolves around them, indifference, victimism. Prayer is the first
task of your Community, and consists of listening to the Word of God,
the bread that gives us strength and enables us to go forth. … He
who looks to the Lord, sees others. You too have learned to see
others, in particular the poorest among you; and I hope that you will
be able to live out what Professor Riccardi has described – that
is, that among you, you forget who gives and who receives help. A
care that slowly ceases to be 'care' and transforms into encounter
and embrace. … Who is at the centre of this? Both, or rather, the
embrace itself”.
The Holy Father rejoiced to see many
elderly among those present, and commented on the importance of the
alliance between the young and the elderly, in which everyone
receives and gives. “A population who does not care for the elderly
and does not care for the young is a population without future, a
people without hope. Because the young – children, young people –
and the elderly are those who carry history forth. The young with
their natural strength, and the elderly, providing their memory. But
when a society loses its memory, it is finished”. The Pope also
spoke against the “throwaway culture”, which currently afflicts
Europe - “a tired Europe that doesn't know what to do”. “We
must rejuvenate her and help her to find her roots. It is true that
she has disavowed her roots, but we must help her to rediscover
them”. He affirmed that change in society starts with the poor and
the elderly. “Nowadays, unfortunately, the speculative economy has
made the poor ever poorer, depriving them of the essentials for life,
such as a home and employment. This is unacceptable! Those who live
in solidarity with others do not accept this and react. It seems that
many people would prefer to remove this word 'solidarity' from the
dictionary, as within a certain culture it can seem almost like a
profanity. No! Solidarity is a Christian word!”.
The Pope encouraged all those who
collaborate with the Community from other countries to be friends of
God, of the poor, and of peace, “because those who live in this way
find blessings in life and will be a blessing for others”. Before
concluding, he emphasised again the need for prayer and dialogue, but
always starting out from one's own identity. “Go forth along this
road: prayer, the poor, and peace. In this way you will help
compassion grow in the heart of society – which is the true
revolution, that of compassion and tenderness – and help friendship
to grown instead of enmity and indifference”.
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