Pope Francis received members of the International Covenant Sons delegation and urged them to remember the lessons of the past so that evil does not escalate.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis met with members of the B’nai B’rith International delegation on May 30 to discuss the current conflicts tearing the world apart and the dangerous extremism that threatens everyone’s safety. The Pope pointed out that violence is always accompanied by lies and indifference. This Jewish group was founded in New York in 1843 to support the poor and fight anti-Semitism.
Facing the members of this Jewish community, the Pope referred to the common memory of Jews and Christians, returning to God’s questioning of Cain, the murderer of his siblings: “Where is your brother Abel?” (cf. Gen. 4:9). Zong points out that this is also a question for us, because “if we do not seek our brothers and sisters, we cannot rediscover ourselves; if we do not embrace our neighbor, we cannot find the eternal God”.
The most concrete way to increase brotherhood is to help those who are poor, weak, and sick. In fact, those in need have a right to support, care and hope. For Jews and Christians, helping those in need “also means doing the will of God the Most High”.
“Think of the many conflicts and dangerous extremism that endanger the lives of all people,” the Pope said. The biggest risk factor is “material, educational and spiritual deprivation”, which becomes “a breeding ground for hatred, anger, frustration and activism”. “We live in a time when peace in many parts of the world is threatened: one-sided and nationalistic views seem to prevail, fueled by selfishness and insatiable greed. trampled.”
To this end, the Pope urged members of the Jewish community present to remember past memories, wars, the Holocaust, and many other cruel experiences, so as not to escalate the conflict. The Pope reminded that in every religious tradition or human society there is a danger of resentment and disputes, even in the name of absolute and sacred principles.
“This is the temptation of violent lies, the ‘evil lying at the door of your heart’ (cf. Gen. 4:7). It deceives people that disputes can be settled by violence and war. Violence, on the contrary, always begets violence, weapons To create death, war is never a solution, but a problem, a complete defeat.”
The Pope urged members of the group to join together to protect the weakest and the forgotten, defend human dignity, seek peace, justice and protect creation. On this occasion, the Pope mentioned that the Jewish group has been in touch with the Holy See since the proclamation of the Vatican II document “The Church’s attitude towards non-Christian religions”. The Pope is delighted to once again receive a Jewish delegation at the Vatican after two years of the pandemic. “I have always been concerned with promoting and deepening the dialogue between Jews and Catholics,” Pope Francis said, referring to his childhood with Jewish classmates.
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