By HE Mgr.+ Aldo Cavalli, Apostolic Nuncio.
The international community always has some questions to face and to solve. Sometimes we find ways to reach solutions; sometimes that it is not immediately possible: in that case many people have to suffer.
I want to point out three problems that are particularly keeping us busy these days, problems we are discussing in order to find some solution: the question of earth, the question of refugees , the question of modern slavery.
All of us are in any way concerned about these problems, and sometimes we propose solutions we thought about, but it seems difficult to find even the correct beginning of the way to a true solution.
Also Pope Francis thought about those problems to reach the true solution, in dialogue with the people and the institutions that are concerned about those questions.
Is it possible not to think about the ecological problems, about the task of caring for the Earth, our common home? Not to think about what we experience, what we see, what we touch: the destruction of the biological diversity, the change of the climate, the contamination of the earth’s waters, of its land and its air?
Perhaps the first thing we have to do is to improve our personal attitude towards the Earth. It seems to me that Francis of Assisi is an authentic leader to teach us how to appreciate the Earth, how to reach the correct attitude in front of nature that surrounds us and gives us the possibility to live well:
“Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light…Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through whom you give sustenance to your creatures…Praised be you, my Lord, through sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste…Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire…”. (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, nr. 87)
This is the true attitude to experience the Earth: all elements of the Earth are our brother and sister…all is our family.
If we experience that Earth is like a mother that nourishes all her sons, we learn to respect our country and the countries of others. Then we understand that everyone can live well on this Earth, and nobody should feel compelled to leave his country to take refuge in another country, because of a deficiency in the primary necessities of life.
If we experience that the Earth is for all, then we understand that all of us have the right to live free wherever we live, and none has the right to treat a person as a slave.
“Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to life and happiness, and endowed with a unique dignity.” (Laudato Si’, nr. 43)
To seek in ourselves the interactions with natural system and social systems makes us leaders of good in this world.
