“Peace is not simply the absence of war” Pope Francis explained that “peace comes from a lasting commitment to mutual dialogue, a patient search for truth and the will to put the genuine good of the community to personal benefit.
In the meeting of the International Network of Catholic Legislators, Pope Francis commented to the participants on 25 August. The meeting was attended by Cardinal Cristoph Schönborn and Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church.
The Holy Father explained that “in today’s world, there are many people who cry out for justice, especially the most vulnerable, who often have no voice and who expect civil and political leaders to protect”.
The Pope then named “the poor, the migrants, the refugees, the victims of human trafficking, the sick and the elderly, and so many other people who are at risk of being exploited or discarded by the current culture of discard”.
“His challenge is to work to safeguard and promote in the public sphere those correct relationships that allow each person to be the respect and love that is due to him,” he assured.