Wednesday, 6 April 2022

Last words from Francis

These are just a few important remarks Pope Francis gave the people of Malta to ponder over before he left Malta on Sunday. They should be the salient points to meditate on, over the next few months and years:

He stressed the importance of working together, of preferring cohesion to division, and of strengthening the shared roots and values that have forged Maltese society in its uniqueness.

He called for more concrete action, warning that the Mediterranean Sea should not become the biggest cemetery of Europe. Unfortunately, the east – the land of sunrise – is now threatened by the dark shadows of war.

The Pope’s strongest words were directed towards “some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests” who is “provoking and fomenting conflicts” (a clear reference to Putin.) He also mentioned the humanitarian tragedies that seem to have been forgotten, such as Yemen and Syria.

Public debates tend to be uninspiring and insular. For example, discussions on the war in Ukraine are scant, except when this concerns rising prices. Migration is only spoken of in terms of a burden.

He emphasised values such as honesty, justice, duty and transparency – essential pillars of a mature civil society.

He spoke about defending life and not discarding the rightful dignity of workers, the elderly and the sick.

He challenged us to ensure that religious practices do not get reduced to relics from the past but become an expression of a living, open faith that spreads the joy of the Gospel.

His parting words: Let us not be tricked by those who say ‘nothing can be done, ‘such problems are too big for us’, ‘I care for myself, and the others care for themselves’… let us answer the challenges concerned with all of humanity.

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