Vatican City, 15 May 2014 (VIS) –
This morning Pope Francis received the credential letters of seven
new ambassadors to the Holy See: Pierre Yves Fux, Switzerland; Rudolf
P. von Balimoos, Liberia; Nega Tsegaye Tessema, Ethiopia; Nasreldin
Ahmed Wali Abdeltif, Sudan; Margaret Ann Louise Jobson, Jamaica;
Claudinah Ntini Ramosepele, South Africa; and Mysore Kapanalah
Lokesh, India.
The Holy Father focused his address to
the diplomats on the challenges posed to peace by the arms trade and
forced migration.
“Peace: this word summarises all the
assets to which every person and all human societies aspire”, he
said. “Also the effort with which we seek to promote diplomatic
relations has, in the final analysis, the sole aim of allowing peace
to grow in the human family, in development and justice. It is a
target that is never fully reached, and that must be continually
sought after by every generation, facing the challenges presented in
every age”.
“Everyone talks about peace”, he
observed; “everyone claims to want it, but unfortunately the
proliferation of weapons of every type leads in the opposite
direction. The arms trade has the effect of complicating and
distancing us from a solution to conflicts, all the more so since it
takes place to a great extent outside the boundaries of the law.
Therefore I consider that, while we are gathered in this Apostolic
See, which by nature is invested in a special service to the cause of
peace, we can unite our voices in expressing hope that the
international community may make new, concerted and courageous
efforts against the proliferation of weapons and to promote their
reduction”.
The Holy Father mentioned that another
challenge to peace, which “unfortunately takes on, in certain
regions and in certain moments, the nature of a full-blown human
tragedy”, is that of forced migration. He commented that it is a
very complex phenomenon, and recognised that important efforts are
being made by international organisations, States, and social bodies,
as well as religious communities and volunteer groups, to respond “in
a civil and organised way to the most critical aspects, emergencies,
and situations of greatest need”. However, also in this case, “we
are aware that we cannot limit ourselves to reacting to emergencies.
This phenomenon has fully manifested its epochal character. The
moment has arrived to face it with a serious and responsible
political outlook, involving all levels: global, continental,
macro-regional, in relations between nations, and finally at national
and local levels”.
In relation to this problem we see
examples of a contrary nature: on the one hand, “marvellous cases
of humanity, of welcome, of encounter: people and families who have
succeeded in leaving behind these inhuman situations and have
rediscovered dignity, freedom and security. Unfortunately, on the
other hand there are stories that make us weep for shame: human
beings, our brothers and sisters, children of God who, inspired by
the wish to live and work in peace, face harrowing journeys and are
subjected to blackmail, torture and harassment of every kind, and at
times end up dying in the desert or at the bottom of the sea”.
The phenomenon of forced migration is
“closely linked to conflicts and wars, and therefore also to the
problem of the proliferation of weapons. … They are the wounds of a
world that is our world, in which God has placed us to live today,
and He calls us to be responsible for our brothers and sisters, so
that the violation of no human being be violated. It would be an
absurd contradiction to speak about peace, to negotiate peace, and at
the same time promote and permit the arms trade. We could also
consider it to be in a certain sense cynical to proclaim human rights
and at the same time ignore or fail to take account of the men and
women who, forced to leave their homeland, die in the attempt or are
not welcomed by international solidarity”.
The Pope concluded, “The Holy See
today declares to you and to the governments of your respective
countries its firm resolve to continue to collaborate to take steps
forward in these areas and along all the roads that lead to justice
and peace, on the basis of universally recognised human rights”.
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