At 12:15pm yesterday, in the Sala Clementina at the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Major Council of the Judiciary (Superior Civil Courts) and addressed a few words to them.
Please excuse me for the last time, truly. In the middle of the morning, I had an ache, a fever, and I had to cut short my appointments. I'm so sorry.
I welcome you all, members of the Superior Council of Magistrates, your assistants and your families. I thank Professor Michele Vietti for his courteous words, and I wish to express a special greeting to the President of the Republic, who presides over this Institution.
The task entrusted to you in service to the country is intended to ensure the smooth functioning of a vital sector of society. For this reason, I wish to express my esteem and my encouragement for your work and for all those who work in that sector with clear consciences and with a deep sense of juridical and civil responsibility.
I want to focus on the ethical aspects of the work that the office of the magistrate accomplishes. In every country, the rule of law is intended to protect the freedom and the independence of the prosecutor, so that he can fulfill his duties with the needed assurance of his important and delicate work. Therefore, you are placed in a very important position, called upon to respond adequately to the tasks society asks of you, to maintain irrefutable impartiality; in order to discern objectively and prudently the right decisions based purely on justice and the rule of law, and above all to respond to the voice of an untiring conscience which is based on fundamental values. The freedom of the magistrate and the objectivity of the judgement expressed requires a careful and timely application of the existing laws. The certainty of the law and the balance of the various powers of a democratic society find their synthesis in the principal of legality, a task that is presided over by the magistrate.
Decisions of the court not only affect the rights and the goods belonging to the citizens, these also depend on such decisions for their very existence. As a result, the one who judges, at every level, must possess intellectual, psychological and moral qualities which guarantee reliability consequent to such an important function. Among all the qualities, I would say that the predominant one for the court would be prudence. This is not a virtue that is exercised while standing still: I am prudent: my mind is made up. No! It is a virtue necessary for governance, the virtue of developing things, the virtue which allows us to ponder serenely the rationale of law and the facts which must be the basis of justice. If you exercise more prudence, you will possess a higher level of interior balance, a capacity to master the pressures which are placed upon you by your own personal points of view and by other ideological convictions.
Italian society expects much of its magistrates, especially in the modern-day context characterized by, among other things, a decreasing importance for the value of heritage and by the evolution of democratic order. It is your duty not to disappoint the legitimate expectations of the people. Strive always to be more and more examples of moral integrity for all of society. There is no shortage of valuable lessons and models to inspire you. I want to mention the illuminating figure of Vittorio Bachelet, who led the Superior Court of Magistrates in times of great difficulty and fell victim to the so-called leading years, and that of Rosario Livatino, who was killed by the mafia, and whose cause for Beatification is now open. These two have offered an exemplary witness of the proper style of living as a faithful lay Christian: loyal to the institutions, open to dialogue, firm and courageous in defending justice and the dignity of the human person.
Dear Justices, may the Lord, our merciful Father illumine your lives and your actions. May his blessing accompany you and sustain each of you in your collegial work, as well as your colleagues and all of your families. Thank you.
Address of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to the Major Council of the Judiciary
Please excuse me for the last time, truly. In the middle of the morning, I had an ache, a fever, and I had to cut short my appointments. I'm so sorry.
I welcome you all, members of the Superior Council of Magistrates, your assistants and your families. I thank Professor Michele Vietti for his courteous words, and I wish to express a special greeting to the President of the Republic, who presides over this Institution.
The task entrusted to you in service to the country is intended to ensure the smooth functioning of a vital sector of society. For this reason, I wish to express my esteem and my encouragement for your work and for all those who work in that sector with clear consciences and with a deep sense of juridical and civil responsibility.
I want to focus on the ethical aspects of the work that the office of the magistrate accomplishes. In every country, the rule of law is intended to protect the freedom and the independence of the prosecutor, so that he can fulfill his duties with the needed assurance of his important and delicate work. Therefore, you are placed in a very important position, called upon to respond adequately to the tasks society asks of you, to maintain irrefutable impartiality; in order to discern objectively and prudently the right decisions based purely on justice and the rule of law, and above all to respond to the voice of an untiring conscience which is based on fundamental values. The freedom of the magistrate and the objectivity of the judgement expressed requires a careful and timely application of the existing laws. The certainty of the law and the balance of the various powers of a democratic society find their synthesis in the principal of legality, a task that is presided over by the magistrate.
Decisions of the court not only affect the rights and the goods belonging to the citizens, these also depend on such decisions for their very existence. As a result, the one who judges, at every level, must possess intellectual, psychological and moral qualities which guarantee reliability consequent to such an important function. Among all the qualities, I would say that the predominant one for the court would be prudence. This is not a virtue that is exercised while standing still: I am prudent: my mind is made up. No! It is a virtue necessary for governance, the virtue of developing things, the virtue which allows us to ponder serenely the rationale of law and the facts which must be the basis of justice. If you exercise more prudence, you will possess a higher level of interior balance, a capacity to master the pressures which are placed upon you by your own personal points of view and by other ideological convictions.
Italian society expects much of its magistrates, especially in the modern-day context characterized by, among other things, a decreasing importance for the value of heritage and by the evolution of democratic order. It is your duty not to disappoint the legitimate expectations of the people. Strive always to be more and more examples of moral integrity for all of society. There is no shortage of valuable lessons and models to inspire you. I want to mention the illuminating figure of Vittorio Bachelet, who led the Superior Court of Magistrates in times of great difficulty and fell victim to the so-called leading years, and that of Rosario Livatino, who was killed by the mafia, and whose cause for Beatification is now open. These two have offered an exemplary witness of the proper style of living as a faithful lay Christian: loyal to the institutions, open to dialogue, firm and courageous in defending justice and the dignity of the human person.
Dear Justices, may the Lord, our merciful Father illumine your lives and your actions. May his blessing accompany you and sustain each of you in your collegial work, as well as your colleagues and all of your families. Thank you.
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