At 12:35pm today, the Holy Father spoke - by video - at the opening ceremonies of the Milan Exposition which is dedicated to the theme: To nourish the planet. Energy for life (May 1-October 31, 2015).
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
I am grateful for the opportunity to unite my voice with those who are gathered for this inauguration. It is the voice of the Bishop of Rome, who speaks in the name of the people of God, pilgrims around the entire world; it is the voice of all the poor who are part of this people and who seek with dignity to earn their bread through the sweat of their brows. I wish to stand as the spokesperson for all these, our brothers and sisters, Christians and non-Christians, who God loves as his own children and who he has given the gift of life, provided the bread that is the flesh of his Son who became man. He taught us to ask God our Father: Give us this day our daily bread. The Expo is an ideal occasion for globalization and solidarity. Let us not waste this opportunity, but instead, fully appreciate it!
In particular, we are united by the theme: To nourish the planet, energy for life. We must also thank the Lord for this: for the choice of such an important theme, such an essential subject ... provided that it not remain only a theme, provided that it always be accompanied by knowledge of faces: the faces of millions of people who are hungry today, who will not eat today in a manner worthy of all human beings. I hope that every person - beginning today - every person who visits the Milan Expo and its marvellous pavillia, might perceive the presence of these faces. It is a hidden presence, but in reality it should be the true protagonist of your event: the faces of men and women who are hungry, who get sick, who even die because of poor or harmful availability of food.
The paradox of abandonment - an expression used by Saint John Paul II while he addressed the Food and Agriculture Organization (Speech at the First Conference on Nutrition, 1992) - continues today, despite the efforts expended and some good results. The Expo too, in certain aspects, is part of this paradox of abandonment, if it obeys the culture of waste, of disposal, and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development. Therefore, let us be sure that this Expo is an opportunity for a change of mentality, an occasion to stop thinking that our daily actions - at every level of responsibility - don't have an impact on the lives of those who, close up or far away, are suffering from hunger. I am thinking of so many men and women who suffer from hunger and I am thinking especially about the many children who are dying of hunger throughout the world.
There are other faces that have important roles in the Milan Expo: those of the many workers and researchers in the world of food. May the Lord grant to each one of them the gifts of wisdom and courage, for their responsibilities are great. My hope is that this experience will allow entrepreneurs, merchants and scholars to be involved in a great plan of solidarity: the plan of feeding the planet with respect for every man and woman who lives and with respect for the natural environment. This is a great challenge to which God invites humanity in the twenty-first century: to finally stop abusing the garden that God confided to us, so that everyone can eat the fruits of this garden in order to take on such a plan for realizing the full dignity for the work involved in producing and in seeking out the food that is needed.
It all starts from that point: from the perception of faces. Therefore I don't want to forget the faces of all the workers who have struggled so much for the sake of the Milan Expo, especially the most anonymous ones, the hidden ones who thanks to the Expo have been able to earn bread that they in turn have been able to take home. May no one be deprived of this dignity! May no bread ever be the fruit of work that is unworthy of man!
May the Lord help you to responsibly welcome this great opportunity. May he who is Love grant us true energy for life: love for sharing bread, our daily bread in peace and fraternity. May there never be a shortage of bread and may every man and woman know the dignity of work.
Thank you.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
presented by video conference to
participants at the opening of the Milan Expo
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
I am grateful for the opportunity to unite my voice with those who are gathered for this inauguration. It is the voice of the Bishop of Rome, who speaks in the name of the people of God, pilgrims around the entire world; it is the voice of all the poor who are part of this people and who seek with dignity to earn their bread through the sweat of their brows. I wish to stand as the spokesperson for all these, our brothers and sisters, Christians and non-Christians, who God loves as his own children and who he has given the gift of life, provided the bread that is the flesh of his Son who became man. He taught us to ask God our Father: Give us this day our daily bread. The Expo is an ideal occasion for globalization and solidarity. Let us not waste this opportunity, but instead, fully appreciate it!
In particular, we are united by the theme: To nourish the planet, energy for life. We must also thank the Lord for this: for the choice of such an important theme, such an essential subject ... provided that it not remain only a theme, provided that it always be accompanied by knowledge of faces: the faces of millions of people who are hungry today, who will not eat today in a manner worthy of all human beings. I hope that every person - beginning today - every person who visits the Milan Expo and its marvellous pavillia, might perceive the presence of these faces. It is a hidden presence, but in reality it should be the true protagonist of your event: the faces of men and women who are hungry, who get sick, who even die because of poor or harmful availability of food.
The paradox of abandonment - an expression used by Saint John Paul II while he addressed the Food and Agriculture Organization (Speech at the First Conference on Nutrition, 1992) - continues today, despite the efforts expended and some good results. The Expo too, in certain aspects, is part of this paradox of abandonment, if it obeys the culture of waste, of disposal, and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development. Therefore, let us be sure that this Expo is an opportunity for a change of mentality, an occasion to stop thinking that our daily actions - at every level of responsibility - don't have an impact on the lives of those who, close up or far away, are suffering from hunger. I am thinking of so many men and women who suffer from hunger and I am thinking especially about the many children who are dying of hunger throughout the world.
There are other faces that have important roles in the Milan Expo: those of the many workers and researchers in the world of food. May the Lord grant to each one of them the gifts of wisdom and courage, for their responsibilities are great. My hope is that this experience will allow entrepreneurs, merchants and scholars to be involved in a great plan of solidarity: the plan of feeding the planet with respect for every man and woman who lives and with respect for the natural environment. This is a great challenge to which God invites humanity in the twenty-first century: to finally stop abusing the garden that God confided to us, so that everyone can eat the fruits of this garden in order to take on such a plan for realizing the full dignity for the work involved in producing and in seeking out the food that is needed.
It all starts from that point: from the perception of faces. Therefore I don't want to forget the faces of all the workers who have struggled so much for the sake of the Milan Expo, especially the most anonymous ones, the hidden ones who thanks to the Expo have been able to earn bread that they in turn have been able to take home. May no one be deprived of this dignity! May no bread ever be the fruit of work that is unworthy of man!
May the Lord help you to responsibly welcome this great opportunity. May he who is Love grant us true energy for life: love for sharing bread, our daily bread in peace and fraternity. May there never be a shortage of bread and may every man and woman know the dignity of work.
Thank you.
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