Leaving the Regional Hub Centre, the Pope then travelled to Piazza Maggiore, where at noon, he held a Meeting with the world of work, the unemployed, representatives from Unindustria, Unions, Confcooperatives and Legacoop. Among the delegations which the Holy Father greeted, there were a number of family members of the victims from the Railway Station massacre that took place in Bologna on 2 August 1980.
Following a few words of greeting offered by His Excellency, Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, the Holy Father shared his speech with those who were in attendance and concluded his remarks with the recitation of the Angelus.
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
I greet all of you who belong to the world of work, in the variety of its expressions. Among these, unfortunately, there are also some negative expressions, difficult situations, sometimes anxious, situations of a lack of work. Thank you for your welcome!
You represent various social partners, often in discussion even bitter questioning, but you have learned that only together can you get out of the crisis and build a future. Only through dialogue, in mutual understanding, is it possible to find effective and innovative responses for everyone, including the quality of work, in particular the indispensable welfare. This is what some people refer to as the Emilia system. Try to continue it. There is a need for stable solutions, capable of helping others to look to the future in order to meet the needs of people and families.
In your territory, a cooperative experience has been developed for quite some time: an experience born of te fundamental values of solidarity. Today, it still has a lot to offer, even to help many who are in trouble and in need of a social elevator which according to some would be completely out of use. We never plead for solidarity with the logic of financial profit, because that's how it is taken away - we might even say robbed - from the weak who need it so much. Seeking a more just society is not a dream about the past but a commitment, a job, the belief that we need everyone today.
The situation of youth unemployment and the unemployment of many who have lost their jobs and who do not manage to re-enter the workforce are realities which we cannot get used to, as though people were merely statistics. This is the temptation.
Welcoming and fighting against poverty are largely experiences faced by many who work. There is often no true offer of help for the poor without the possibility of finding work and dignity. This is a challenge, as it was during the years of reconstruction after the war, times that were marked with much poverty. The recent work pact, which has been experienced by all levels of society, and even the Church, is a sign of our common commitment to helping others in their search for stable answers, excluding begging, an important method which I hope will bear the hoped-for fruit.
The economic crisis has a European and a global dimension; and, as we know, it is also a crisis of ethics, spiritual and human. At its root, there is a betrayal of the common good, by both individuals and power groups. It is therefore necessary to remove the centrality of the law of profit and to assign it to the person and to the common good. But because this centrality is real, effective and not only proclaimed in words, we need to increase opportunities for dignified work. This is a task that belongs to all of society: in this phase in particular, all segments of society, in its various components, are called to expend every effort so that work, which is a primary factor in the establishment of dignity, becomes a central priority.
Here, we stand in front of Saint Petronio, remembered as Father and Protector and always pictured with the city in his hands. From this point, we physically see three constituent aspects of your city: the Church, the Common and the University. When they communicate and collaborate with each other, they reinforce the precious unanimity that is expressed in this city - so to speak - which breathes, has a horizon and is not afraid to face the challenges that arise. I encourage you to appreciate this humanism of which you are guardians, in order to seek wise and far-sighted solutions to complex problems in our time, seeing them as difficulties but also as opportunities for growth and improvement. And this is true for Italy on the whole and for all of Europe.
Dear friends, you are particularly close, placing all your anxieties and preoccupations into the hands of the Lord and those of Our Lady of Saint Luke. To you, so venerated by all Bolgnese, we turn now with the prayer of the Angelus.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Bratislava (Slovakia), Titus Zeman - a Salesian priest - was beatified. He united himself to the long line of martyrs during the twentieth century, for he died in 1969 after having spent a long time in prison because of his faith and his pastoral service. His witness supports us in the most difficult moments of life and helps us to recognize the presence of the Lord even in times of trial.
On this Sunday, at the end of the week dedicated in a particular way to the Word of God, on the occasion of yesterday's celebration of Saint Jerome's feastday - the great master of Sacred Scripture, we thank God for the gift of his Word and commit ourselves to reading and meditating on the Bible, especially the gospels.
Finally, we unite ourselves spiritually to the faithful gathered at the Shrine in Pompeii for the traditional Supplication to the Madonna of the Rosary, presided over today by the President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Bassetti.
To all of you, native born and adopted Bolognesi, I wish a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Following a few words of greeting offered by His Excellency, Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, the Holy Father shared his speech with those who were in attendance and concluded his remarks with the recitation of the Angelus.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to members of the world of work
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
I greet all of you who belong to the world of work, in the variety of its expressions. Among these, unfortunately, there are also some negative expressions, difficult situations, sometimes anxious, situations of a lack of work. Thank you for your welcome!
You represent various social partners, often in discussion even bitter questioning, but you have learned that only together can you get out of the crisis and build a future. Only through dialogue, in mutual understanding, is it possible to find effective and innovative responses for everyone, including the quality of work, in particular the indispensable welfare. This is what some people refer to as the Emilia system. Try to continue it. There is a need for stable solutions, capable of helping others to look to the future in order to meet the needs of people and families.
In your territory, a cooperative experience has been developed for quite some time: an experience born of te fundamental values of solidarity. Today, it still has a lot to offer, even to help many who are in trouble and in need of a social elevator which according to some would be completely out of use. We never plead for solidarity with the logic of financial profit, because that's how it is taken away - we might even say robbed - from the weak who need it so much. Seeking a more just society is not a dream about the past but a commitment, a job, the belief that we need everyone today.
The situation of youth unemployment and the unemployment of many who have lost their jobs and who do not manage to re-enter the workforce are realities which we cannot get used to, as though people were merely statistics. This is the temptation.
Welcoming and fighting against poverty are largely experiences faced by many who work. There is often no true offer of help for the poor without the possibility of finding work and dignity. This is a challenge, as it was during the years of reconstruction after the war, times that were marked with much poverty. The recent work pact, which has been experienced by all levels of society, and even the Church, is a sign of our common commitment to helping others in their search for stable answers, excluding begging, an important method which I hope will bear the hoped-for fruit.
The economic crisis has a European and a global dimension; and, as we know, it is also a crisis of ethics, spiritual and human. At its root, there is a betrayal of the common good, by both individuals and power groups. It is therefore necessary to remove the centrality of the law of profit and to assign it to the person and to the common good. But because this centrality is real, effective and not only proclaimed in words, we need to increase opportunities for dignified work. This is a task that belongs to all of society: in this phase in particular, all segments of society, in its various components, are called to expend every effort so that work, which is a primary factor in the establishment of dignity, becomes a central priority.
Here, we stand in front of Saint Petronio, remembered as Father and Protector and always pictured with the city in his hands. From this point, we physically see three constituent aspects of your city: the Church, the Common and the University. When they communicate and collaborate with each other, they reinforce the precious unanimity that is expressed in this city - so to speak - which breathes, has a horizon and is not afraid to face the challenges that arise. I encourage you to appreciate this humanism of which you are guardians, in order to seek wise and far-sighted solutions to complex problems in our time, seeing them as difficulties but also as opportunities for growth and improvement. And this is true for Italy on the whole and for all of Europe.
Dear friends, you are particularly close, placing all your anxieties and preoccupations into the hands of the Lord and those of Our Lady of Saint Luke. To you, so venerated by all Bolgnese, we turn now with the prayer of the Angelus.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Bratislava (Slovakia), Titus Zeman - a Salesian priest - was beatified. He united himself to the long line of martyrs during the twentieth century, for he died in 1969 after having spent a long time in prison because of his faith and his pastoral service. His witness supports us in the most difficult moments of life and helps us to recognize the presence of the Lord even in times of trial.
On this Sunday, at the end of the week dedicated in a particular way to the Word of God, on the occasion of yesterday's celebration of Saint Jerome's feastday - the great master of Sacred Scripture, we thank God for the gift of his Word and commit ourselves to reading and meditating on the Bible, especially the gospels.
Finally, we unite ourselves spiritually to the faithful gathered at the Shrine in Pompeii for the traditional Supplication to the Madonna of the Rosary, presided over today by the President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Bassetti.
To all of you, native born and adopted Bolognesi, I wish a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
No comments:
Post a Comment