Pope urges for a global family of nations based on
unity, solidarity where the weak are protected
Family.“Families,” the Pope said, “are the
glue of society; their welfare cannot be taken for granted, but must be
promoted and protected by every appropriate means.” Noting that “racial and
ethnic hatred, intractable conflicts and violence, contempt for human dignity
and for fundamental human rights, and the growing divide between rich and
poor,” go against the sense of the entire world as a single family, the Pope
urged that we never lose hope or the courage to persevere in the moral
imperative to be peacemakers, reconcilers and guardians of one another.
Good Friday Agreement. He particularly expressed
satisfaction over the Good Friday Agreement signed 20 year ago to bring an end
to the long conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, and
hoped for a “future of harmony, reconciliation and mutual trust.”
Throwaway culture. The growth
of a materialistic “throwaway culture”, the Pope noted, has in fact “made us
increasingly indifferent to the poor and to the most defenceless members of our
human family, including the unborn, deprived of the very right to
life." “Perhaps the most disturbing
challenges in this regard today is the massive refugee crisis,” the Pope said
and called for a wisdom, breadth of vision and humanitarian concern that go far
beyond short-term political decisions.
Abuse of minors. Speaking about protecting
the vulnerable, such as women, children and orphans, the Pope acknowledged the
“grave scandal caused in Ireland by the abuse of young people by members of the
Church charged with responsibility for their protection and education.” Pope
Francis said that “the failure of ecclesiastical authorities – bishops,
religious superiors, priests and others – adequately to address these repellent
crimes has rightly given rise to outrage, and remains a source of pain and
shame for the Catholic community.” He
called on the Church’s leadership to remedy past mistakes and to adopt
stringent norms meant to ensure that they do not happen again. In his recent
“Letter to the People of God”, the Pope said he has called for greater
commitment to “eliminate this scourge in the Church”.However, Pope Francis
acknowledged that the Church in Ireland, in the past and present, has played a
role in “promoting the welfare of children that cannot be obscured.” He hoped that the "gravity of the abuse
scandals, which have cast light on the failings of many, will serve to
emphasize the importance of the protection of minors and vulnerable adults on
the part of society as a whole."
Christian heritage. The Holy Father expressed
satisfaction over Holy See-Irish relations and the nation’s rich Christian
heritage of more than a millennium and a half, recalling the first preachers
Palladius and Patrick, and saints and scholars like Columba, Columbanus,
Brigid, Gall, Killian and Brendan.
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