Pope Francis has said that we cannot improve our political landscape by observing and judging from afar, but that it entails personal involvement, which should always be done in a spirit of charity and helpfulness.
“Try to act personally instead of just looking and criticising the work of others from the balcony,” the Pope has said.
The Pope however said all should give constructive advice “If the politician is wrong, go tell him, there are so many ways to say, ‘But I think that would be better like so, like so…’ Through the press, the radio… But say it constructively.”
“And do not look out from the balcony, look at her from the balcony waiting for her to fail.”
Pope Francis spoke to people in the Italian town of Cesena during a day’s trip to Cesena and Bologna on October 1. In Cesena, he met with citizens of the town and with Priests, Religious and lay people at the City’s Cathedral.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Cesena was the birthplace of Pope Pius VI and Pope Pius VII. Also in the 19th century Francesco Xaverio Castiglione (the future Pope Pius VIII) was Bishop of Cesena, thus giving the city its nickname of the city of the three Popes.
In Bologna, the Pope’s schedule included Meetings with migrants and refugees, Clergy and Religious, Academics, Students, Workers and the unemployed.
“The authentic face of politics and its reason for being,” Pope Francis said, is “an invaluable service to the good of the whole community. And that is why the Church’s social doctrine regards it as a noble form of charity.”
In order to re-establish the independence and the ability of politics to serve the public good, he continued, we must “act in such a way as to diminish inequalities, to promote the welfare of families with concrete measures, to provide a solid framework of rights-duties – balance both – and make them effective for everyone.”
Therefore, the Pope said, from the centrality of the “piazza” – the square – goes out the message that it is “essential to work together for the common good.”
“I invite you to consider the nobility of political action in the name and favour of the people,” he said. In recent years, the true aim of politics has appeared to retreat in the face of aggression and financial power.
Thus, we must “rediscover the value” of this essential part of society and give our contribution – recognising the need for political ideas to be held up to reality and reshaped as necessary.
We should not claim an impossible perfection from those in public life, he stated, but we should still “demand” from politicians “the coherence of commitment, preparation, moral rectitude, initiative, forbearance, patience and strength of spirit in addressing today’s challenges.”
This will not fix everything quickly or easily, of course, he continued. “The magic wand does not work in politics.” But if a politician does wrong: constructively tell them, he encouraged.
We all make mistakes, Pope Francis said. And when we do, we should apologise, return to a right path and go on.
Concluding, he said that it is the right of everyone to have a voice in politics, but especially we should listen to “the young and the elderly.” To young people because they are the ones with the energy to do things, and to the elderly because they have the wisdom and authority of life.
“Let us pray to the Lord for the raising of good politicians who really care for society, the people and the good of the poor, the Pope said.”CNA/EWTN News
