In his first speech after arriving in Lisbon for the World Youth Summit, the Pope expressed his thoughts on Europe and the West's most important task. He identified three areas of building hope in which everyone can participate: the environment, the future and brotherhood.
"I am glad to have arrived in Lisbon. This is a city of encounter, which includes many peoples and cultures, and which these days is taking on an even more global character: in a certain sense, it has become the capital of the world and of the future - Pope Francis began his speech, referring to the Portuguese authorities for the World Youth Meeting that began on August 1st and lasts until Sunday , which he came to Lisbon to lead. Starting from the capital's oceanside character, he listed the big threatening global issues that are common problems waiting to be solved in today's divided world: planetary injustice, wars, climate and migration crises.
“They seem to be moving faster than our abilities, and often our will to face these challenges in a unified way”
the pope stated.
The Treaty of Lisbon
He recalled the Treaty of Lisbon concluded in 2007, the document of the reform of the European Union, in which the spirit of unity stimulated by the European dream of multilateralism in a broader sense than the West was formulated. Lisbon is the westernmost capital on the continent, which warns us of the need to open up to even wider ways of meeting. "I hope that the World Youth Meeting can be an impetus for universal openness for the "old continent", that is, an impetus for openness that makes it younger. The world needs Europe, the real Europe. It needs Europe's role as a bridge and peacemaker in the eastern part of the continent, in the Mediterranean, in Africa and in the Middle East," emphasized Pope Francis.
You can achieve this goal with the tools of dialogue, inclusion and peace diplomacy.
"We are sailing amid storms on the ocean of history, and we feel the need for brave paths of peace. With a deep love for Europe and in the spirit of the dialogue that defines the continent, we can ask: "Where are you sailing if you do not show the world the ways of peace and the creative ways to end the war in Ukraine and many other conflicts that cause so much bloodshed ? Or, broadening our horizons, we can ask: "West, which way are you sailing?" - said the Pope in his speech, and then continued:
"I dream of a Europe, the heart of the West, that uses its great talent to resolve conflicts and light the lamps of hope; of a Europe that can reclaim its youthful heart and consider the greatness of everyone beyond their own immediate needs; I dream of a Europe that includes peoples and individuals with their own culture, without running after ideologies and forms of ideological colonization"
– the pope summed up his desire.
After that, returning to the image of the ocean, he emphasized that it also reminds us of the origin of life. “In today's developed world, paradoxically, the protection of human life has now become a priority, threatened by a frightening utilitarianism that uses and discards life. We can also ask the question here:
"Where are you sailing, Europe and the West, with the scrapping of the elderly, the barbed wire walls, the huge number of deaths at sea and the empty cradles?"
the pope warned.
Reason for hope
Then again referring to the image of the ocean that surrounds Lisbon, he emphasized that the city gives reason for hope, the city of hope precisely because of hosting the World Youth Summit. "Young people from all over the world, yearning for unity, peace and brotherhood, urge us to make their dreams come true. They go out into the street, but not to shout angrily, but to share the Gospel, the hope of life. At a time when in many places we are witnessing a period of protest and unrest, a fertile ground for forms of populism and conspiracy theories, the World Youth Summit is a chance to build together.
Here, the Pope identified three building areas of hope on which we can all work together: environmental protection, the future and brotherhood.
Regarding the environment, Pope Francis pointed out: we cannot claim to believe in young people if we do not provide them with healthy areas where they can build the future. Regarding the future, he emphasized that young people represent the future. However, in Europe and the Western world, the demographic curve is falling worryingly.
“Progress seems to be measured by inventions of technology and personal comfort, while the future calls for reversing the decline in birth rates and the weakening of the will to live. A healthy policy can achieve a lot in this regard: it can be a generator of hope. It's not about keeping power, it's about being able to give people hope"
warned Pope Francis. This can be seen in the fact that politics invests in the future, i.e. in families, children, and relationships between generations, which does not erase the past, but rather strengthens the bonds between the young and the old. The Pope highlighted the role of education, which "does not merely impart technical knowledge aimed at economic growth, but also makes young people part of history, transmits tradition, values our religious dimension and needs, and promotes social friendship".
Brotherhood
The Pope named brotherhood as the third building area of hope, which we Christians learn from Jesus Christ. In the broader context of globalization, which brings us closer together but does not create fraternal closeness, we are invited to maintain a sense of community, starting with caring for those around us. The Pope set the example of young people who, with their calls for peace and their thirst for life, encourage us to break down the walls of division that have been erected in the name of different opinions and creeds.
At the end of his speech, the Pope thanked all those in Portuguese society who
“who express their concern for others, as well as for the local church, which quietly and undisturbedly does a lot of good. We are called to give hope as brothers and sisters to the world we live in and to this wonderful country. God bless Portugal!”
Pope Francis concluded his speech to the country's authorities.
Source: Vatican News/ zarandok.ma
Featured image: Pope Francis at the meeting with the Portuguese authorities - Photo: Vatican Media
