“The deafening noise of war and conflict is amplifying, as diseases of pandemic proportions spread, the effects of climate change and environmental degradation worsen, the tragedy of hunger and thirst worsens, and more. dominating an economic model that is based more on individualism than on sharing solidarity”, Pope Francis diagnosed in his message for the World Day of Peace, which has been celebrated every January 1 for 55 years. In the same document Jorge Bergoglio outlined a proposal based on three axes: dialogue between generations to build peace; instruction and education as engines of peace and promoting and ensuring work.
The question of the search for peace in the world has been a permanent concern of the Catholic pontiff since his election in March 2013. Following this objective, Bergoglio has developed a strategy that involves not only his Catholic Church, but also leaders of other confessions. monotheists and constantly installs the theme of peace in his dialogues with political leaders around the world.
For the Pope, peace has to be the result of a shared commitment between institutions and people. Along these lines, Bergoglio proposes to advance in a sincere dialogue, which “although not exempt from a fair and positive dialectic, always requires a basic trust between the interlocutors.” For this reason, Francisco continues, “we must regain this mutual trust” without losing sight of the fact that “the current health crisis has increased in all the feeling of loneliness and withdrawal on oneself”.
In the same text Bergoglio affirms that “dialogue means listening to each other, confronting each other, agreeing and walking together”, a task that – says the pontiff – should be fostered between generations, knowing that this means “working the harsh barren land of conflict and the exclusion to cultivate there the seeds of a lasting and shared peace ”.
Advocating for dialogue between generations, Francisco affirms that the great social and peace-building challenges “cannot do without the dialogue between (the elderly) depositaries of memory and (the young) followers” of it.
Later the Pope takes up another of his favorite themes: the care of our common home, referring to the preservation of the environment. And he points out that “the opportunity to build paths to peace together cannot do without education and work, privileged places and contexts for intergenerational dialogue.”
On the point Francisco denounces that “the budget for instruction and education, seen as an expense rather than an investment, has decreased significantly globally in recent years“, Although both are” bases of a cohesive, civil society, capable of generating hope, wealth and progress. ” It warns that, in contrast, “military expenditures have increased, exceeding the level recorded at the end of the ‘Cold War’, and they seem destined to grow in an exorbitant way ”against which he calls for“ a real process of international disarmament ”that frees up financial resources that are used for health, school, infrastructures and the care of the territory.
In another section the Pope maintains that “work is an indispensable factor to build and maintain peace” because from a social perspective “work is the place where we learn to offer our contribution for a more livable and more beautiful world”.
In this regard, Jorge Bergoglio maintains that “the situation in the world of work, which was already facing multiple challenges, has been aggravated by the covid-19 pandemic” and as a consequence “millions of economic and productive activities have gone bankrupt; precarious workers are increasingly vulnerable; many of those who develop essential services remain even more hidden from public and political consciousness; distance instruction has in many cases caused a regression in learning and educational programs ”. While noting that the “impact of the crisis on the informal economy, which often affects migrant workers, has been particularly devastating”When, on the other hand, many of them“ are not recognized by national laws ”and it is“ as if they did not exist ”.
Francisco understands that “it is more urgent than ever that decent and dignified working conditions are promoted throughout the world, oriented towards the common good and the care of creation”, that politics promote a “just balance between economic freedom and social justice ”.
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