At noon today, in the Sala Clementina at the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the participants taking part in the XXII Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Accademy for Life.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I welcome all of you who have gathered for the General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life. I am especially pleased to meet Cardinal Sgreccia, who is still standing, thank you! These days will be dedicated to the study of the virtue of the ethics of life, a subject which is of academic interest, that sends an important message to modern-day culture: the good that man accomplishes is not the result of calculations or strategies, nor is it the product of genetic makeup or social conditioning; rather it is the fruit of a heart that is well disposed, a free choice that tends toward true goodness. Science and technology are not enough: to accomplish good, we also need wisdom of heart.
In various ways, Sacred Scripture tells us that neither good nor evil intentions enter into a man from without; rather they emerge from his heart. From within - Jesus affirms - that is to say that evil intentions originate in men's hearts (Mk 7:21). In the bible, the heart is not only the organ of affections, but also the origin of spiritual abilities, reasoning and willingness; it is the seat of decision making, of a person's way of thinking and of acting. The wisdom of choices, open to the movements of the Holy Spirit, also involves the heart. It gives rise to good works but also to evil ones when truth and the Spirit are rejected. In summary, the heart is the synthesis of humanity shaped by God's own hands (cf Gen 2:7) and watched over by its creator with a particular pleasure (cf Gen 1:31). In the human heart, God pours out his own wisdom.
In our times, some cultural guidelines no longer recognize the imprint of divine wisdom in created reality, neither in human reality. Human nature is therefore reduced to mere matter, which can be shaped by any design. Our humanity however, is unique and so precious in the eyes of God! For this reason, the first nature to be cared for, in order that it may bear fruit, is our own humanity. We must give it the clean air of freedom and the living water of truth, protecting it from the poisons of self-centredness and lies. Then, in the terrain of our humanity a great variety of virtues will be able to flower.
Virtue is the most authentic expression of the good that man, with God’s help, is able to realize. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1803).Virtue is not a simple habit; it is the constantly renewed attitude of choosing the good. Virtue is not emotion, it is not an ability that is acquired with a refresher course, and least of all a biochemical mechanism, but it is the loftiest expression of human freedom. Virtue is the best that man’s heart offers. When the heart moves away from the good and from the truth contained in the Word of God, it runs so many dangers, it remains deprived of orientation and risks calling good evil and evil good; virtues are lost, sin takes over more easily, and then vice. One who fuels this slippery slope falls into moral error and is oppressed by a growing existential anguish.
Sacred Scripture presents to us the dynamic of the hardened heart: the more the heart is inclined to egoism and evil, the more difficult it is to change. Jesus says: Every one who commits sin is a slave to sin (Jn 8:34). When the heart is corrupted, the consequences for social life are grave, as the prophet Jeremiah reminds us. I quote: You have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence (22:17). This condition cannot change either in virtue of theories, or by the effect of social or political reforms. Only the work of the Holy Spirit can reform our hearts, if we collaborate: God Himself, in fact, has assured His effective grace to one who seeks Him and is converted with all his heart (cf Gal 2:12 ff). Today there are many institutions committed to the service of life by way of research and of assistance; not only do they promote good actions but also a passion for good. However, there are also so many structures more concerned with economic interest than the common good. To speak of virtue means to affirm that a choice for good involves and commits the whole person; it is not a cosmetic question, an external embellishment, which will not bear fruit: in the ambit of the ethics of life it is also about uprooting dishonest desires from the heart and of seeking the good with sincerity. Also in the field of the ethics of life, the necessity of norms, which confirm respect of persons, are not enough on their own to fully realize man’s good. It is the virtues of one who works in the promotion of life that are the ultimate guarantee that good will really be respected. Today scientific knowledge and technical instruments are not lacking to be able to offer support to human life in situations in which it is weakest. But humanity is so often lacking. Good action is not the correct application of ethical wisdom, but it presupposes a real interest in the fragile person. The doctors and all health workers never fail to combine science, technology and humanity.
Therefore, I encourage Universities to consider all this in their programs of formation, so that the students can mature those dispositions of the heart and mind, which are indispensable to receive and take care of human life, according to the dignity that belongs to it in any circumstance. I also invite the directors of health and research structures to have their dependents consider human treatment also as an integral part of their qualified service. In every case, may those who dedicate themselves to the defense and promotion of life be able to show its beauty first of all. In fact, as the Church does not grow by proselytism 'but by attraction’ (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 14), so human life is defended and promoted effectively only when it is known and its beauty is shown. By living a genuine compassion and the other virtues, you will be privileged witnesses of the mercy of the Father of life.
Contemporary culture still keeps the premises to affirm that humanity, regardless of our conditions of life, is a value worth protecting; however, he is often a victim of moral uncertainties, which do not enable him to defend life effectively. Not rarely then, it can happen that under the name of virtue, splendid vices are masked. Hence, it is necessary not only that virtues really inform man's way of thinking and acting, but that he be cultivated through a continuous discernment and be rooted in God, the source of every virtue. I would like to repeat here something I said several times: we must be alert to the new ideological colonizations that take over human and Christian thought under the form of virtue, of modernity, of new attitudes, but which are in fact colonizations, namely, which take away freedoms, and which are ideological, that is, they are afraid of the reality as God has created it. Let us ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, so that He will draw us out of egoism and ignorance: renewed by Him, we can think and act according to God’s heart and show His mercy to one who suffers in body and spirit.
The wish I address to you is that the work of these days may be fruitful and accompany you and all those you meet in your service in a path of virtuous growth. I thank you and I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me. Thank you.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the meeting with members of the
Pontifical Academy for Life
Dear brothers and sisters,
I welcome all of you who have gathered for the General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life. I am especially pleased to meet Cardinal Sgreccia, who is still standing, thank you! These days will be dedicated to the study of the virtue of the ethics of life, a subject which is of academic interest, that sends an important message to modern-day culture: the good that man accomplishes is not the result of calculations or strategies, nor is it the product of genetic makeup or social conditioning; rather it is the fruit of a heart that is well disposed, a free choice that tends toward true goodness. Science and technology are not enough: to accomplish good, we also need wisdom of heart.
In various ways, Sacred Scripture tells us that neither good nor evil intentions enter into a man from without; rather they emerge from his heart. From within - Jesus affirms - that is to say that evil intentions originate in men's hearts (Mk 7:21). In the bible, the heart is not only the organ of affections, but also the origin of spiritual abilities, reasoning and willingness; it is the seat of decision making, of a person's way of thinking and of acting. The wisdom of choices, open to the movements of the Holy Spirit, also involves the heart. It gives rise to good works but also to evil ones when truth and the Spirit are rejected. In summary, the heart is the synthesis of humanity shaped by God's own hands (cf Gen 2:7) and watched over by its creator with a particular pleasure (cf Gen 1:31). In the human heart, God pours out his own wisdom.
In our times, some cultural guidelines no longer recognize the imprint of divine wisdom in created reality, neither in human reality. Human nature is therefore reduced to mere matter, which can be shaped by any design. Our humanity however, is unique and so precious in the eyes of God! For this reason, the first nature to be cared for, in order that it may bear fruit, is our own humanity. We must give it the clean air of freedom and the living water of truth, protecting it from the poisons of self-centredness and lies. Then, in the terrain of our humanity a great variety of virtues will be able to flower.
Virtue is the most authentic expression of the good that man, with God’s help, is able to realize. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1803).Virtue is not a simple habit; it is the constantly renewed attitude of choosing the good. Virtue is not emotion, it is not an ability that is acquired with a refresher course, and least of all a biochemical mechanism, but it is the loftiest expression of human freedom. Virtue is the best that man’s heart offers. When the heart moves away from the good and from the truth contained in the Word of God, it runs so many dangers, it remains deprived of orientation and risks calling good evil and evil good; virtues are lost, sin takes over more easily, and then vice. One who fuels this slippery slope falls into moral error and is oppressed by a growing existential anguish.
Sacred Scripture presents to us the dynamic of the hardened heart: the more the heart is inclined to egoism and evil, the more difficult it is to change. Jesus says: Every one who commits sin is a slave to sin (Jn 8:34). When the heart is corrupted, the consequences for social life are grave, as the prophet Jeremiah reminds us. I quote: You have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence (22:17). This condition cannot change either in virtue of theories, or by the effect of social or political reforms. Only the work of the Holy Spirit can reform our hearts, if we collaborate: God Himself, in fact, has assured His effective grace to one who seeks Him and is converted with all his heart (cf Gal 2:12 ff). Today there are many institutions committed to the service of life by way of research and of assistance; not only do they promote good actions but also a passion for good. However, there are also so many structures more concerned with economic interest than the common good. To speak of virtue means to affirm that a choice for good involves and commits the whole person; it is not a cosmetic question, an external embellishment, which will not bear fruit: in the ambit of the ethics of life it is also about uprooting dishonest desires from the heart and of seeking the good with sincerity. Also in the field of the ethics of life, the necessity of norms, which confirm respect of persons, are not enough on their own to fully realize man’s good. It is the virtues of one who works in the promotion of life that are the ultimate guarantee that good will really be respected. Today scientific knowledge and technical instruments are not lacking to be able to offer support to human life in situations in which it is weakest. But humanity is so often lacking. Good action is not the correct application of ethical wisdom, but it presupposes a real interest in the fragile person. The doctors and all health workers never fail to combine science, technology and humanity.
Therefore, I encourage Universities to consider all this in their programs of formation, so that the students can mature those dispositions of the heart and mind, which are indispensable to receive and take care of human life, according to the dignity that belongs to it in any circumstance. I also invite the directors of health and research structures to have their dependents consider human treatment also as an integral part of their qualified service. In every case, may those who dedicate themselves to the defense and promotion of life be able to show its beauty first of all. In fact, as the Church does not grow by proselytism 'but by attraction’ (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 14), so human life is defended and promoted effectively only when it is known and its beauty is shown. By living a genuine compassion and the other virtues, you will be privileged witnesses of the mercy of the Father of life.
Contemporary culture still keeps the premises to affirm that humanity, regardless of our conditions of life, is a value worth protecting; however, he is often a victim of moral uncertainties, which do not enable him to defend life effectively. Not rarely then, it can happen that under the name of virtue, splendid vices are masked. Hence, it is necessary not only that virtues really inform man's way of thinking and acting, but that he be cultivated through a continuous discernment and be rooted in God, the source of every virtue. I would like to repeat here something I said several times: we must be alert to the new ideological colonizations that take over human and Christian thought under the form of virtue, of modernity, of new attitudes, but which are in fact colonizations, namely, which take away freedoms, and which are ideological, that is, they are afraid of the reality as God has created it. Let us ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, so that He will draw us out of egoism and ignorance: renewed by Him, we can think and act according to God’s heart and show His mercy to one who suffers in body and spirit.
The wish I address to you is that the work of these days may be fruitful and accompany you and all those you meet in your service in a path of virtuous growth. I thank you and I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me. Thank you.
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