During the jubilee of governments, Pope Leo XIV meets the legislators of various nations and recalls the importance of natural law, entrusting them to Saint-Thomas More, whose “will to sacrifice his life rather than betraying the truth makes him a martyr for freedom and for the priority of consciousness”.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“The courage St. Thomas has shown more by his desire to sacrifice his life rather than betraying the truth makes, also for us today, a martyr for freedom and for the primacy of consciousness.”
Pope Leo XIV made this observation on the 16th century English Holy Century and the former Chancellor of Britain of the 16th century when he addressed members of the International Union Interparliamentament in the context of the jubilee for the governments which take place this weekend in the Vatican.
By welcoming the members of delegations from 68 different countries, Pope Leo said that politics had been rightly defined as “the highest form of charity”.
“If we consider the service that political life renders to society and to the common good,” he said, “he can really be considered as an act of Christian love, which is never just a theory, but always a concrete sign and a constant witness of God for the good of our human family.”
In this regard, Pope Leo XIV has delimited three considerations which, according to him, deemed important in the current cultural context.
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Promote and protect the good from the community
“The first”, he noted, “concerns your responsibility to promote and protect, regardless of any particular interest, The good of the communityin particular by defending vulnerable and marginalized. “He added that this would include, for example,” working to overcome the unacceptable disproportion between the immense concentrated wealth in the hands of a few and the poor in the world “.
“Those who live in extreme conditions shout to make their voices heard and often find no ear willing to hear their plea,” he observed, observing, “this imbalance generates situations of persistent injustice, which easily lead to violence and, sooner or later, to the tragedy of war.”
“A healthy policy, on the other hand, promoting the equitable distribution of resources,” said the Pope, “can offer effective service to harmony and peace both at national and international level”.
Religious freedom and interreligious dialogue
The second reflection of Pope Leo XIV concerned religious freedom and interreligious dialogue, an area which, according to him, has taken greater importance at the moment.
Political life insisted the Pope, “can achieve a lot by encouraging the conditions for having authentic religious freedom and that a respectful and constructive meeting between different religious communities can develop”.
“The belief in God, with the positive values that draw from it,” he added, “is an immense source of goodness and truth for the lives of individuals and communities.”
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Natural law as an essential reference point
“In order to have a point of reference shared in political activity, and not to exclude a priori Any consideration of the transcendent in decision -making processes, “said Pope Leo,” it would be useful to seek an element that unites everyone. To this end, an essential point of reference is the natural rightWritten not by human hands, but recognized as valid at all times and in place, and finding its most plausible and convincing argument in the nature itself. “”
“The natural law, which is universally valid outside and above other more questionable beliefs,” continued the Pope, “constitutes the compass by which to take our bearings by legislating and acting, in particular on delicate and pressing ethical questions which, today more than in the past, consider personal life and confidentiality.”
The Holy Father also underlined the Universal Declaration of Human RightsApproved and proclaimed by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, as part of the cultural heritage of humanity.
“This text, which is always relevant”, he stressed, “can greatly contribute to placing the human person, in his inviolable integrity, to the foundation of the quest for truth, thus restoring dignity to those who do not feel respected in their deepest being and in the sayings of their conscience.”
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The challenge of artificial intelligence
The Pope turned to what he called the “major challenge” of artificial intelligence.
“This is a development that will certainly be great aid to society, provided that his job does not undermine the identity and dignity of the human person and his fundamental freedoms,” he said.
Despite its advantages, noted the Pope: “Our personal life has a greater value than any algorithm, and social relationships require spaces for development that transcend limited models that any soulless machine can pre-package. Do not forget artificial intelligence remains equipped with” static memory “which is not comparable to what human adolescents are not comparable to what adolescents humans. “
For these reasons, Pope Leo said: “Politics cannot ignore the challenge of this magnitude. On the contrary,” he said, “he is called upon to respond to many citizens who rightly look with confidence and concern about the problems raised by the new digital culture.”
The witness and the example of Saint-Thomas More
Finally, the Pope advised legislators around the world to turn to St. Thomas More. He recalled that during the jubilee of the year 2000, Saint John Paul II indicated the English Holy Witness for political leaders to venerate and an intercessor under the protection of which place their work.
“Sir Thomas More,” said Pope Leo XIV, “was a man faithful to his civic responsibilities, a perfect servant of the State precisely because of his faith, who led him to consider politics not as a profession but as a mission for the propagation of truth and goodness, which, the Pope, was underlined”, the social conflicts were expressed with an exposed feeling of the family; with intense commitment; And he promoted the full education of young people. »»
“The courage he has shown by his desire to sacrifice his life rather than betraying the truth, also for us today,” said Pope Leo, “a martyr for freedom and for the primacy of consciousness.”
In this spirit, before giving its apostolic blessing, the Holy Father concluded, praying: “May his example be a source of inspiration and advice for each of you!”
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