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In his speech at the 75th UN General Assembly, Francis denounced the evils of a “humanity raped” by wars and the lack of respect for human life and the environment. In this world in conflict, he said, it is necessary for the UN “to become an increasingly effective peace workshop, in which the members of the Security Council, especially the Permanent, act with greater unity and determination.”
Bianca Fraccalvieri – Vatican News
Coronavirus, inequality, religious persecution, weapons, the Amazon and the family: these are some of the issues addressed by Pope Francis in his speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly.
Like other leaders of state and government, the Pontiff’s participation was virtual, through a video message recorded in the Vatican.
The speech lasted just over 26 minutes, during which Francisco addressed the main topics of the day, starting with the most urgent and complete: the Covid-19 pandemic.
The health crisis has brought us to a crossroads: either we take the path of renewed co-responsibility and global solidarity, or we travel the path of isolation and leave the most vulnerable aside. “This second option should not prevail,” Francisco warned.
Then, the Pontiff renewed his call to policy makers and the private sector to take the appropriate measures to guarantee access to vaccines against COVID-19. “If you have to privilege someone, let him be the poorest,” he said.
Raped humanity
Speaking of the consequences of the pandemic, the Pope was especially concerned about workers, who are always losing more space for “robotization.” “Solidarity cannot be an empty word or promise,” he said, adding that it is necessary to find new forms of work capable of satisfying human potential, while respecting their dignity. In other words, a stronger “ethical framework” is needed.
At this point, Francisco used one of the most emphatic expressions of his speech when he affirmed that the culture of discarding in force today is an “attack against humanity”.
In this list of violations, Francis included religious persecution, which can result in genocide. Among the victims, there are also Christians: “how many suffer around the world, sometimes forced to leave their ancestral lands, isolated from their rich history and culture.”
This attack against humanity produces conflicts everywhere, “humanitarian crises have become the state, where the rights to life, liberty and personal security are not guaranteed ”.
Many of these conflicts lead to forced migration, in which the displaced suffer violations in the countries of origin, transit and destination. “This is intolerable, however, today it is a reality that many intentionally ignore!” The Pope denounced, asking for respect for international treaties.
The Amazon and the environmental crisis
Other issues mentioned by the Pontiff were social inequality – and the growing gap between rich and poor – and economic injustice. Once again, he called for the reduction or abolition of the foreign debt of the poorest countries. “This is the right time to renew the international financial architecture,” he said.
To talk about another crisis, the environmental one, the Pope mentioned the Amazon and its indigenous populations. And he recalled that the environmental crisis is inextricably linked to a social crisis, reiterating that the Holy See will continue to fulfill its role in caring for the common home.
Francisco was forceful in denouncing the situation of millions of children in the world, aggravated by the pandemic. He cited unaccompanied migrant minors, child victims of violence, abuse, pedophilia, slave labor, children without the right to health and education and, worse still, without the right to life.
Defending children, the Pope continued, is also defending the family, now a victim of “ideological colonialism”. The disintegration of the family leads to social fragmentation, he recalled.
Francis addressed a special thought to women during the 25 years of the Beijing Conference. Despite the progress, many women continue to be abandoned, victims of exploitation and violence, “I express my fraternal closeness to them and to those who live separated from their families,” while calling for a more incisive fight against “perverse practices that denigrate ”. not only to women, but to all humanity ”.
Dismantle culture of war
The last issue addressed by the Pope was that of arms, stating that there will be no progress in the field of peace and development if “precious resources” are assigned to the arms race, including nuclear.
In the face of increasingly refined and lethal technology, Francisco’s message is clear: “It is necessary to dismantle the perverse logic that attributes personal and social security to the possession of weapons. Such logics only serve to increase the profits of the war industry, feeding a climate of mistrust and fear among the people and the peoples ”.
Finally, Francisco affirmed that the world in conflict needs the UN to become an increasingly effective peace workshop, in which the members of the Security Council, especially the Permanent Council, act with greater unity and determination. And he cited as a “noble” example the recent adoption of a global ceasefire during the pandemic.
And speaking of a crisis, the Pope concluded by recalling that we left it, better or worse, and that at this critical juncture, it is “our duty to rethink the future of our common.”
