Vatican City, 21 March 2015 (VIS) –
At 9 a.m. the Pope's helicopter landed in the sports field in the
Scampia quarter, one of the most highly-populated in Naples, built
between 1970 and 1990 largely in response to the emergency caused by
the earthquake that devastated Naples in 1980. It is among the areas
with the highest rates of unemployment in Italy.
From the sports camp the Pope travelled
by Popemobile from St. John Paul II Square, where he met with the
inhabitants of the zone and with the representatives of various
social groups. Francis, surrounded by children, was greeted by the
cardinal archbishop of Naples, Crescenzio Sepe, and by two other
people who welcomed him on behalf of immigrants and workers.
The Holy Father went on to address
those present, frequently deviating from his official text in order
to enter into open dialogue with those present. “You belong to a
population with a long history, marked by complex and dramatic
vicissitudes”, he said. “Life in Naples has never been easy, but
it has never been sad. This is your greatest resource: joy. Daily
life in this city, with all its difficulties, discomforts and at
times its ordeals, produces a culture of life that helps you to get
up again after every fall, and to ensure that evil never has the last
word. It is hope, as you well know, that is your great patrimony,
this 'lever of the soul', so precious, but also so exposed to assault
and robbery. One who voluntarily sets out on the path of evil steals
a piece of hope. … He steals it from himself and from others, from
the many honest and hard-working people, from the good name of the
city, from its economy”.
He then responded to the Filipina
speaker who had previously asked for a word of encouragement on
behalf of immigrants and the homeless, who are also “children of
God”. Francis, visibly moved, remarked that immigrants must not
only be sure of being loved by and dear to God, but must also have
the certainty of being citizens, and he remarked that it is the
responsibility of all to ensure this. Moreover, he emphasised that we
are all migrants, sons of God who walk a path together, as no-one
truly has a fixed abode on this earth.
In response to the second speaker, the
Pope remarked that the lack of employment is a negative sign of our
times, and of a system that discards people, in this case the young
who are thus deprived of hope for the future. He reiterated that
unemployment, the impossibility of bringing home bread for one's
family, causes the profound suffering that comes with the loss of
dignity. He also denounced forms of exploitation such as work without
social security or pension contributions, and stressed that it is not
possible to consider Christian a person who offers a job involving
eleven hours' work a day without security of any type and with very
low rates of pay, and who remarks that if a worker is not willing to
accept these conditions, there are many others who will. Francis
referred to this form of exploitation as slavery, and urged all those
present to combat it at its roots, to fight for dignity and not to
give in when faced with injustice.
Finally, he responded to the greetings
from a representative of the magistrature, who had spoken about the
importance of education in creating honest citizens, and affirmed
that undoubtedly the path of education is the way to hope and the
best protection against evil.
He also spoke about corruption,
affirming that a society that closes its doors to immigration and
does not give work to the people is a corrupt society, a society in a
state of decomposition, and he warned that, at the same time, no-one
may consider himself safe from corruption, as it is very easy to fall
victim to it, as it is a “slippery slope towards easy business ...
towards the exploitation of others. … A Christian who lets
corruption in, is not a Christian!” he exclaimed.
Francis encouraged the presence and
efforts of the city institutions, as “a community cannot progress
without their support”, and he emphasised the need for “good
politics”, that is, service to the people, to be carried out in
particular in the local context, where the burden of defaults,
delays, and omissions is more direct and most keenly felt. “Good
politics constitutes one of the highest expressions of charity,
service and love”, he remarked. “Implement good policy, together:
politics is carried out together”.
“Naples is always ready to rise
again, inspired by a hope forged by a thousand trials, that is
therefore an authentic and concrete resource you can always count on.
Its roots are found in the very soul of the Neapolitans, especially
in their religiosity, their piety. … I hope you will have the
courage to keep going, with your joy … the courage never to rob
anyone of hope. … I hope that you will continue in your search for
sources of work, so that all may have the dignity of being able to
put food on the table, and to move forward in cleansing your soul, in
cleansing your city, in cleansing your society, so that there may no
longer be the odour of corruption”.
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