Posted September 25, 2015
Pope Francis addresses Congress
Washington, D.C.
September 24, 2015
As prepared for delivery --
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 one hundred and fiftieth 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!
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