Greetings to Jains

At 9:00am this morning (GMT+1), in the reception hall at the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a representative group from the Institute of Jainology from London (England).

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the encounter with representatives from

the Institute of Jainology (London, England)

I am very happy to welcome you here for this encounter, a meeting that helps us to grow in our responsibility for taking care of creation, a gift that all of us have received - the gift of creation - we need to take care of it.  Creation is God's mirror, the mirror of the Creator, the mirror of nature, all of nature, and life in nature is also our mirror.

Mother Earth is pleasing to us, to all of us because she has given us life and cares for us; I would also say that sister Earth accompanies us on our journey through existence.  But our task is to take care of the earth like we would take care of a mother or a sister, with responsibility, with tenderness and with peace.

Thank you for all that you are doing in this respect, and let us remain united in our ideals, in this task, in this work of ensuring that our mother, our sister Earth is cared for; knowing that caring for, taking care of creation, the Earth, means taking care of, caring for all of humanity.

Thank you.