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Pope Francis’ greeting to a delegation of the Catholic Foundation of Verona
Consistory Hall – Saturday, 18 January 2025
“ Walking together as “pilgrims in hope”
I am glad to meet you at the beginning of this year, in which we celebrate the Jubilee of hope. Together as “peregrinantes in spem” we are walking as pilgrims in the world.
It reminds us that we are not its masters, but rather its custodians. This concerns us all.
We are called to take care of the common home that the Lord has entrusted to us, that is, to cultivate it and to safeguard it according to a wise and respectful rule. To safeguard our common home.
The term “economy” means just that: “wise housekeeping”, that means managing one’s own home, the common home, the social home.
In this regard, your Foundation is active in many social settings. I was delighted to learn of the solidarity initiatives, support for voluntary work, and cultural and professional training to which you are dedicated.
I especially praise those in support of families and young people in cooperation with the Verona diocese. The resourcefulness and generosity of your work is consistent with the name of the Foundation you represent: Catholic.
I therefore encourage you to go forward, doing good always and to all.
Doing something doing something good; and to everyone, not standing still. It is a good life program!
Do good always, because constancy rewards those who work faithfully. You know this well, in assurance field. To do good to everyone, starting from those most in need, in accordance with the social doctrine of the Church, to which you bear witness in so many charitable works.
Let us not forget that money renders the most when it is invested for the benefit of our neighbor.
This is important. There is a very bad situation now about investments.
In some countries the investments that give the highest returns are weapons factories: investing to kill. It is crazy! This is not for the benefit of the people.
And when one does that, against or apart from the benefit of the people, money ages and wears down the heart, making it hard and deaf to the voice of the poor.
The first to be rejected out of selfishness are the poor; this is curious.
When we put wealth at the service of human dignity, we can only gain, always: indeed, promoting the common good improves the bonds of the society in which we all participate.
Faced with the education and employment emergencies, I urge you to renew constantly your trust in God’s Providence, which lovingly guides history, calling us to build a future according to justice.
I bless you from my heart. And keep up the good work, keep doing it because that is sowing the future, that is sowing happiness, that is sowing peace. And pray for me, don’t forget, but pray for, not against! Thank you.
