2023-08-18 17:16:00
August 18, 2023 / 10:16 am
Faced with the spread of a “kind of epidemic of enmity”, Pope Francis stressed the importance of friendship and the culture of encounter in times of war and divisions.
This Friday, the Pontiff shared a message through the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on the occasion of the “XLIV Meeting for friendship between peoples”scheduled for August 20-25, 2023 in Rimini, Italy.
In line with the theme of the Meeting: “Human existence is an inexhaustible friendship”, the Holy Father highlights the importance of friendship in a world where conflicts and rivalries spread resentment.
In his annual message to the “organizers and participants” of what is known as the “Rimini Meeting”, the Pontiff warned that “unfortunately, war and divisions sow resentment and fear in hearts, and the other who is different from me is often perceived as a rival.
“Global and omnipresent communication makes this widespread attitude become a mentality, that differences appear as symptoms of hostility and that a kind of epidemic of enmity occurs,” writes the Holy Father in his message released by Cardinal Parolin.
“In this context,” the Pope pointed out, “the title of the Meeting sounds daring: “Human existence is an inexhaustible friendship.” “Bold because it clearly goes against the current, in a time marked by individualism and indifference, which generate loneliness and many forms of discarding”.
The Holy Father remarks that “humanity has always faced the impossibility of saving itself.” That is why “God, in a historic moment, sent his Son to teach the path of brotherhood and the gift” of friendship.
Indeed, as the Successor of Peter explains, Jesus presents himself as a friend, and his Spirit breaks solitude by offering friendship. This inexhaustible friendship dissolves desolation, as expressed by Don Giussani (founder of Communion and Liberation), emphasizing that human existence is a deep dialogue and the abolition of loneliness.
Addressing young people, the Holy Father – recalls Cardinal Parolin – exalts the value of true friendship, which widens the heart: “Faithful friends, who are by our side in hard times, are a reflection of the Lord’s affection, of his comfort and his kind presence. Having friends teaches us to open up, to understand, to care for others, to get out of our comfort and isolation, to share life”.
Likewise, it points out that the attitude of openness to the other as a brother is one of the distinctive features of the pontificate of Pope Francis, of his testimony and of his teaching: “The love of the other for being who he is moves us to seek the best for his life . Only by cultivating this way of relating will we make possible social friendship that does not exclude anyone and fraternity open to all” (Enc. Fratelli tutti, 94).
It is precisely social friendship,” continued Card. Parolin – that the Pope continues to recommend as the only possibility even in the most dramatic situations, even in the face of war.
The message also recalls the law of friendship established by Jesus (Jn 15,13). In this sense, the Pope urges Christians and people of good will to respond to the cry of the world with gestures and options that promote peace in daily life.
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Cardinal Parolin indicates – in the name of Pope Francis – that the Church promotes this path towards friendship and exhorts to practice this human and Christian virtue with determination.
Finally, the Holy Father celebrates the friendships that emerged at the Meetings in Rimini and highlights the definition of friendship as a process. In addition, he encourages the culture of encounter, seeing in each individual a divine reflection. At the same time he asks to get closer to others like Jesus, promoting social friendship and between nations. And he ends by sending his apostolic blessing to the participants and organizers.
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