Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) –
On Saturday afternoon Pope Francis sent a video message to the 500
national and international representatives gathered in Milan, where
Expo 2015 will be held, to address the theme, “The ideas of Expo
2015: Towards the Milan Charter”.
In his message, the Pope refers to his
address in November to the Conference on Nutrition organised by the
the FAO in Rome, in which he affirmed that “interest in the
production, availability and accessibility of foodstuffs, climate
change and agricultural trade should certainly inspire rules and
technical measures, but the first concern must be the individual as a
whole, who lacks daily nourishment and has given up thinking about
life, family and social relationships, instead fighting for
survival”.
“St. John Paul II, in the
inauguration in this hall of the First Conference on Nutrition in
1992, warned the international community against the risk of the
'paradox of plenty', in which there is food for everyone, but not
everyone can eat, while waste, excessive consumption and the use of
food for other purposes is visible before our very eyes.
Unfortunately, this 'paradox' remains relevant. There are few
subjects about which we find as many fallacies as those related to
hunger; few topics as likely to be manipulated by data, statistics,
the demands of national security, corruption, or futile lamentation
about the economic crisis”.
To overcome the temptation of sophisms,
“that nominalism of thought that goes beyond … but never touches
reality”, the Pope suggests three practical approaches: turn first
to urgent priorities, be witnesses of charity, and be guardians
rather than masters of the earth.
“Aim your gaze and heart not towards
an emergency pragmatism that shows itself to be perpetually
provisional, but instead an approach aimed at removing the structural
causes of poverty. Let us recall that the root of all evil is
inequality”, says Francis, repeating his words in the apostolic
exhortation Evangelii gaudium: “we have to say 'thou shalt not' to
an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How
can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person
dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two
points? This is a case of exclusion. … It is no longer simply about
exploitation and oppression, but something new. … The excluded are
not the 'exploited' but the outcast, the 'leftovers'”.
“It is therefore necessary, if we
really want to solve problems and not become lost in sophisms, to
remove the root of all ills, which is inequality. To do this, there
are some priority decisions to be made: to renounce the absolute
autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and to act above all
on the structural causes of inequality”.
“Politics, though often denigrated,
remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity,
inasmuch as it seeks the common good”, he continues. “Where,
then, should a healthy economic policy begin? What are the necessary
pillars for public administration? The answer is precise: the dignity
of the human person and the common good. Unfortunately, however,
these two pillars, that ought to structure economic policy, often
'seem to be a mere addendum imported from without in order to fill
out a political discourse lacking in perspectives or plans for
integral development. … Please, be courageous and do not be afraid,
in political and economic projects, to allow yourselves to be
influenced by a broader meaning of life as this will help you to
truly serve the common good and will give you strength in 'striving
to increase the goods of this world and to make them more accessible
to all'”.
With reference to the third point, the
Pope again mentioned a comment he heard many years ago from an
elderly peasant: “God always forgives; men forgive at times; but
the Earth never forgives. We must care for our sister the Earth, our
Mother Earth, so that she does not respond with destruction”.
“Faced with the goods of the Earth, we are required 'not to lose
sight of the origin or purpose of these goods, so as to bring about a
world of fairness and solidarity', says the social doctrine of the
Church. The Earth has been entrusted to us in order to be a Mother to
us, able to give what is necessary for each person to live. … The
Earth is not an inheritance we have received from our parents, but
rather a loan from our offspring to us, so that we may take care of
it, enable it to continue and restore it to them”.
“The stewardship of the Earth is not
a task exclusive to Christians, but instead applies to all”, he
continued. “I entrust to you what I said during the Mass of the
beginning of my ministry as Bishop of Rome: 'I would like to ask all
those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and
social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be
“protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in
nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not
allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this
world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over
ourselves! … We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness'.
Care for the Earth not only with goodness, but also with tenderness”.
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