The Vatican released a video message from Pope Francis addressed to the inhabitants of the Argentine city of Rosario, marked in recent days by murders and crimes as a result of drug trafficking.
Due to the situation in the city, the Holy Father stated at the beginning of his message that “the presence of the security forces is necessary to bring tranquillity to the community.”
In this sense, he assures that “every People has within itself the tools to overcome that which threatens its integrity, against the lives of its weakest children.”
Pope Francis urges all sectors of society to collaborate while stating that “it is necessary to rehabilitate politics.”
Furthermore, it denounces that “the silence of the State in this matter only naturalizes and facilitates the promotion of their consumption and marketing.”
For this reason, he assures that “the democratic system must ensure the institutionality of justice, in such a way that it can be independent, to investigate the networks of corruption and money laundering that facilitate the advance of drug trafficking.”
Pope Francis also explains that “there is a great task ahead in the business sector, not only in preventing complicity in business with mafia organizations but also in a social commitment.”
“All social, civil and religious institutions must be united to do what we do best: create community,” the Pontiff reiterates.
Pope Francis assures that “fear always isolates, fear paralyzes,” and invites us to “commit ourselves together with others to be a peaceful and inspiring response.”
“The Church, as Mother and Samaritan, is always called to spiritually and organically accompany the families of the victims who have lost their lives due to violence, to accompany the sick, to accompany those who live the scourge of addictions and their family members, accompanying those who are imprisoned and then need a path to reintegration, accompanying those who live in situations of extreme vulnerability.”
Finally, the Holy Father expresses his closeness to the inhabitants of this Argentine city and emphasizes that “the Virgin of the Rosary intercedes day and night for all her children, especially, as mothers usually do, with special diligence for those who are more frail.”