Vatican City, 10 November 2015 (VIS) –
Pope Francis arrived shortly before 8 a.m. at the Lungobisenzio
Stadium in the Italian city of Prato, the first brief stop in his
visit to the Tuscany region. From there, he transferred the cathedral
square where he was awaited by thousands of faithful, some of whom
had spent the night there to be able to greet the Pope. Many of them
were workers, to whom he addressed a discourse on the dignity of
work, in which he condemned exploitation. He also referred to the
members of the Chinese community resident in the city who died last
year in a fire in a textile factory where they worked and lived
illegally.
Francis affirmed that he was passing
through the city as part of a larger pilgrimage: “It is little, but
at least the intention is there”, and remarked that he would like
to spend longer in this “city of Mary”. He began by quoting the
biblical passage on the liberation of Israel, when the Lord asked the
Jews to celebrate the Passover with “girded loins”.
“To 'gird the loins', to wear the
cloak belted at the waist, meant being ready, preparing oneself to
leave, to go out to be on one's way”, he said, explaining that
today this means being ready “to share the joy of having met the
Lord and also the toil of walking His path. We are required to go out
towards the men and women of our time. Going out, certainly, means
taking risks, but there is no faith without risk. A faith that thinks
of itself and is closed in on itself is not faithful to the
invitation of the Lord, Who asks His people to take the initiative
and to commit themselves fearlessly. Confronted with the often
vertiginous transformations of recent years, there is the danger of
succumbing to the whirlwind of events, losing the courage to seek out
the way. … But the Lord, Who wishes to reach those who do not yet
love Him, spurs us on. … He asks the Church, His bride, to walk
today's rough paths, to accompany those who have lost their way and
to pitch tents of hope, to welcome those who are wounded and expect
nothing more from life”.
“For a disciple of Jesus, no
closeness can turn into distance. Rather, there exist none who are
too far away, only neighbours to be reached”, affirmed Francis,
thanking the citizens of Prato for their continuing efforts to
integrate all people and to resist the throwaway culture of
indifference. “In times distinguished by uncertainty and fear, your
initiatives in favour of the weakest and families, that you are also
committed to adopting, are praiseworthy. As you seek the best
concrete solutions for inclusion, do not be discouraged by
difficulties. Do not resign yourselves when faced with what appear to
be difficult situations of coexistence; always be encouraged by the
wish to establish genuine “neighbourly pacts”.
Finally, the Holy Father recalled that
St. Paul invited Christians to wear a particular armour, that of God.
“We must gird ourselves with truth. Nothing good can be based on
lies or the lack of transparency. Always seeking and choosing the
truth is not easy; however it is a vital decision, that must
profoundly mark the existence of each person and of society, so that
it may be more just and more honest. The sacred nature of every human
being requires respect, welcome and dignified work for all. Dignified
work! If I may, I would like to remember the five men and two women,
Chinese nationals, who died two years ago as a result of a fire in
the industrial zone of Prato. They lived and slept inside the same
industrial building where they worked: in one area, a small dormitory
had been fashioned in cardboard and plasterboard, with bunk beds to
make use of the height of the structure. It is a tragedy of
exploitation and of inhumane conditions of life. And this is not
dignified work! The life of every community demands that we fight the
cancer of corruption all the way; the cancer of the exploitation of
human beings and labour, and the poison of illegality. Among us and
along with others, we must never tire of fighting for truth and
justice”.
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