Mr. Vice President,
Mr. Speaker,
Honorable Members of Congress,
Dear Friends,
I
am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of
Congress in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. I would
like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this
great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward
which we share a common responsibility.
Each son or daughter of a
given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your
own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by
your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its
people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the
dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit
of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A
political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy
common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially
those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative
activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been
invited, called and convened by those who elected you.
Yours is a
work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the
one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes
the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just
legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God
and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides
us with a good synthesis of your work: You are asked to protect, by
means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human
face.
Today I would like not only to address you, but through you
the entire people of the United States. Here, together with their
representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with
the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest
day’s work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and –one step
at a time – to build a better life for their families. These are men
and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in
their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate
solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a
helping hand to those most in need.
I would also like to enter
into dialogue with the many elderly persons who are a storehouse of
wisdom forged by experience, and who seek in many ways, especially
through volunteer work, to share their stories and their insights. I
know that many of them are retired, but still active; they keep working
to build up this land. I also want to dialogue with all those young
people who are working to realize their great and noble aspirations, who
are not led astray by facile proposals, and who face difficult
situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults. I
wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the
historical memory of your people.
My visit takes place at a time
when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several
great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human
weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many
differences and limitations, were able by hard work and self-sacrifice –
some at the cost of their lives – to build a better future. They shaped
fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the
American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises,
tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move
forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way
of seeing and interpreting reality. In honoring their memory, we are
inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to
draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.
I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.
This
year marks the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who labored tirelessly that
“this nation, under God, (might) have a new birth of freedom.” Building a
future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a
spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.
All of us are quite aware
of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation
of the world today. Our world is increasingly a place of violent
conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of
God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of
individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be
especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious
or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence
perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic
system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom
and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation which we must
especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only
good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The
contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our
brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of
polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in
the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed
the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and
murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which
you, as a people, reject.
Our response must instead be one of hope
and healing, of peace and justice. We are asked to summon the courage
and the intelligence to resolve today’s many geopolitical and economic
crises. Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures
and actions are all too apparent. Our efforts must aim at restoring
hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the
well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together,
as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating
generously for the common good.
The challenges facing us today
call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished
so much good throughout the history of the United States. The
complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that
we pool our resources and talents, and resolve to support one another,
with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience.
In
this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed
to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as
in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice
of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person
and in each society. Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the
battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave
injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms
of social consensus.
Here I think of the political history of the
United States, where democracy is deeply rooted in the mind of the
American people. All political activity must serve and promote the good
of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity. “We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,
that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”
(Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776). If politics must truly be at
the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave
to the economy and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our
compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest
common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests
in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its
social life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves,
but I encourage you in this effort.
Here too I think of the march
which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery fifty years ago as
part of the campaign to fulfill his “dream” of full civil and political
rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I
am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of “dreams”.
Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams
which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.
In
recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their
dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent,
are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners.
I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you
are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who
were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples
and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to
reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were
often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by
the criteria of the present. Nonetheless, when the stranger in our midst
appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past.
We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we
educate new generations not to turn their back on our “neighbors” and
everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we
must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in
order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to
do our best. I am confident that we can do this.
Our world is
facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World
War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. On
this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in
search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in
search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own
children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view
them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories,
trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way
which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common
temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us
remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you” (Mt 7:12).
This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us
treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to
be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek
for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped
ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we
want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide
opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick
which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our
responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its
development.
This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my
ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of
the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every
life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable
dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those
convicted of crimes. Recently my brother bishops here in the United
States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. Not
only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who
are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude
the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.
In these
times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention
the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker
Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause
of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the
example of the saints.
How much progress has been made in this
area in so many parts of the world! How much has been done in these
first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme
poverty! I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs
to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship a spirit
of global solidarity must not be lost. At the same time I would
encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped
in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight
against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts,
especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the
past, are working to deal with this problem.
It goes without
saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution
of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of
technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential
elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and
sustainable. “Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth
and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for
the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of
jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good” (Laudato
Si’, 129). This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of
the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to “enter into dialogue
with all people about our common home” (ibid., 3). “We need a
conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge
we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all”
(ibid., 14).
In Laudato Si’, I call for a courageous and
responsible effort to “redirect our steps” (ibid., 61), and to avert the
most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human
activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no
doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important
role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies,
aimed at implementing a “culture of care” (ibid., 231) and “an
integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the
excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (ibid., 139). “We have
the freedom needed to limit and direct technology” (ibid., 112); “to
devise intelligent ways of... developing and limiting our power” (ibid.,
78); and to put technology “at the service of another type of progress,
one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral” (ibid.,
112). In this regard, I am confident that America’s outstanding
academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the
years ahead.
A century ago, at the beginning of the Great War,
which Pope Benedict XV termed a “pointless slaughter”, another notable
American was born: the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a
source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people. In his
autobiography he wrote: “I came into the world. Free by nature, in the
image of God, I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my
own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That
world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God, and
yet hating him; born to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless
self-contradictory hungers”. Merton was above all a man of prayer, a
thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new
horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a
promoter of peace between peoples and religions.
From this
perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts made in
recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful
episodes of the past. It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men
and women, in any way possible, to do the same. When countries which
have been at odds resume the path of dialogue – a dialogue which may
have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons – new
opportunities open up for all. This has required, and requires, courage
and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political
leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment
in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always
opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces (cf. Evangelii
Gaudium, 222-223).
Being at the service of dialogue and peace also
means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end
the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask
ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to
inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer,
as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood,
often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence,
it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.
Three
sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams:
Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and
non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons;
and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.
Four representatives of the American people.
I
will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take
part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my
visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family
has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of
our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the
family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and
without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is
the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the
importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.
In
particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who
are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled
with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem
disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse
and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We
need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective
solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of
oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures
young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for
the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options
that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.
A nation can
be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it
fosters a culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all
their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it
strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did
by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and
sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.
In these
remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural
heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that
this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people
as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many
people to dream.
God bless America!
Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/24/6431313/text-of-pope-francis-address-to.html#storylink=cpy
St. Edmund Mission Church is a small church in the small town of Ranchester, Wyoming. Located just north of Sheridan, the mission is served by the Parish in Sheridan.
