Vatican City, 6 February 2015 (VIS) –
This morning in the Clementine Hall the Pope received in audience the
prefects (governmental representatives) of various Italian cities. In
his address, he remarked that their work “implies tenacious
dedication to duty and an exhaustive knowledge of relevant issues,
along with the flexibility necessary to face the innumerable
practical cases that emerge, each one with its own peculiarities”.
Pope Francis recalled that in recent
years, during which migration has had a particular impact, partly as
a result of “an increase throughout the world of violent conflicts
with their tragic consequences for the people and the economies of
many countries”, there has been a need for particular delicacy and
competence in relation to immigration. The prefects are faced with
“the need to identify in the everyday management of situations,
frequently in emergencies, the correct application of norms in order
to guarantee, along with fidelity to the dictates of the law and
current legislation, scrupulous respect for the fundamental rights of
every human being”.
“In this area, as in many others,
fruitful collaboration between the Prefectures, dioceses and parishes
is of great help; collaboration which, with respect for distinct
competences, deserves confirmation, recognition and further
development. The Church, as a divine and human entity, works in
society in the service of people based on the teaching of Christ and,
wishing to carry out her educational and charitable mission in
sincere collaboration with the institutions of the State for the
development of humanity and the good of the country, is pleased to
find in the Prefectures one of the fields in which this synergy for
the good of all citizens is made particularly tangible”.
The Holy Father went on to note that
obedience to the law and the criteria of humanity at its foundations,
alongside loyalty to institutions, constitute the indispensable
framework within which the prefects carry out their work, and are
attitudes favourable to the assumption of responsibility. “The
crisis of authority experienced by our society in various fields,
both public and private and with wide-ranging consequences,
especially for the education of the younger generations, numbers
among its causes the lack of these fundamental dispositions towards
obedience, listening and patience. Furthermore, the exercise of
authority always has as its aim the attainment of the common good,
finding its most intimate reason for existence and the very
possibility of its effectiveness in placing itself in the service of
those over whom authority is held”.
He concluded, “You are therefore
called to exercise your professionalism and your humanity, your
knowledge and your prudence, without discouragement or pessimism,
knowing however that you will not be faced with abstract questions
but rather the real face of men and women with their problems and
their hopes, that in these years of uncertainty and economic
difficulty have become even more pressing”.
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