Meeting in the Vatican with some 150 representatives of firms and cooperatives of the “Progetto Policoro” sponsored by the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Pope Francis highlights the urgent have to have for “better politics” in our war-torn-occasions.

By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis on Saturday praised Italian youths involved in a Church sponsored project aimed at providing help to unemployed and underemployed young men and women, saying their commitment contributes to a “better politics” close to people’s wants and consequently to creating peace in the planet.

The Pope was addressing representatives of firms and cooperatives portion of the “Progetto Policoro”, a project sponsored by the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) to assistance young men and women integrate in the labour market place by organizing vocational coaching programmes, advertising cooperatives and making intermediaries, such as “community animators”.

War is the failure of politics

Referring to the theme of peace selected by the project for this year, the Pope highlighted that our war-torn occasions make the have to have for “good politics”, that listens to the men and women  and fosters peace, even additional urgent currently.

“War – he emphasized – is the failure of politics. It tends to make us touch the absurdity of the arms race and its use for solving conflicts.”

“If armaments had been not created for a year, hunger in the planet could be eliminated.”

Citing the biblical King Ahab of Israel and his wife Jezebel as an instance of the worst politics “which pursues unique interests and utilizes any suggests to satisfy them”, and recalling the words of St. Ambrose, Pope Francis insisted that “A  politics that workouts energy as domination and not as a service is not capable of caring, tramples upon the poor, exploits the earth and reacts to conflict with war.”

On the other hand – he continued – a optimistic biblical instance we can draw from is Joseph, the son of Jacob: “Joseph, who personally suffered injustice, does not seek his personal interest but that of the men and women, pays in individual for the typical superior, becomes a peacemaker, weaves relationships capable of innovating society”.

Tenderness and fruitfulness in politics

These two biblical examples, stated Pope Francis, assistance us to improved recognize what spirituality ought to underpin political activity. He focused on two elements: tenderness and fruitfulness.  

Tenderness, he stated,  “is the adore that becomes close” to the least, the weakest, the poorest, whilst fruitfulness “is created of sharing, of lengthy-term vision, of dialogues, of trust, of understanding, of listening. It suggests searching to the future and investing in future generations beginning processes rather than occupying spaces”.  

“Time is higher than space”

The politician is a servant of the neighborhood

In light of this, Pope Francis, consequently, urged participants in the Policoro Project to concentrate not on individual or political get, but on fostering entrepreneurship, producing dreams flourish via advertising people’s participation which, he stated,  “is the balm of the wounds of democracy.”

“Your concern ought to not be not electoral help or individual achievement, but involving men and women, producing entrepreneurship, producing dreams flourish, producing men and women really feel the beauty of belonging to a neighborhood. The politician is a servant when the politician is not a servant, he is a poor politician.”

Concluding the Pope encouraged them to continue their perform “always with the aim of serving” the neighborhood.