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  • Mr. Speaker. The Pope of the Holy See. Members of Congress, I have the high privilege

  • and distinct honor of presenting to you, Pope francis of the Holy See.

  • Mr. Vice-President,

  • Mr. Speaker,

  • Honorable Members of Congress,

  • Dear Friends,

  • I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in

  • the land of the free and the home of the brave”. I would like to think that the reason

  • for this is that I too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received

  • so much and toward which we share a common responsibility.

  • Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility.

  • Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative

  • activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives.

  • You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless

  • and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics.

  • A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by

  • stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater

  • vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To

  • this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.

  • Yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the one

  • hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes the need of peoples to

  • keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure

  • of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being.

  • Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: you are asked to protect, by means

  • of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.

  • Today I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the United

  • States. Here, together with their representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue

  • with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work,

  • to bring home their daily bread, to save money andone step at a timeto build a better

  • life for their families. These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying

  • their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity

  • by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in

  • need. I would also like to enter into dialogue with

  • the many elderly persons who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience, and who seek

  • in many ways, especially through volunteer work, to share their stories and their insights.

  • I know that many of them are retired, but still active; they keep working to build up

  • this land. I also want to dialogue with all those young people who are working to realize

  • their great and noble aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, and who

  • face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults.

  • I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the historical

  • memory of your people.

  • My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries

  • of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human weakness

  • notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations,

  • were able by hard work and self-sacrificesome at the cost of their livesto

  • build a better future. They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit

  • of the American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions

  • and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity.

  • These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In honoring their

  • memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw

  • upon our deepest cultural reserves.

  • I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy

  • Day and Thomas Merton.

  • This year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President

  • Abraham Lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who labored tirelessly thatthis nation,

  • under God, [might] have a new birth of freedom”. Building a future of freedom requires love

  • of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.

  • All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation

  • of the world today. Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal

  • atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion

  • is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that

  • we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of

  • any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name

  • of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious

  • freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation

  • which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good

  • or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its

  • open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every

  • form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the

  • attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within.

  • To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their

  • place. That is something which you, as a people, reject.

  • Our response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice. We are asked

  • to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve today’s many geopolitical and

  • economic crises. Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions

  • are all too apparent. Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining

  • commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move

  • forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating

  • generously for the common good.

  • The

  • challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished

  • so much good throughout the history of the United States. The complexity, the gravity

  • and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and

  • resolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our convictions of

  • conscience.

  • In this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening

  • society. It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be

  • heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in

  • each person and in each society. Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate

  • new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through

  • new policies and new forms of social consensus.

  • Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to

  • build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular

  • interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social

  • life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in

  • this effort.

  • Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery fifty

  • years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill hisdreamof full civil and political

  • rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America

  • continues to be, for many, a land ofdreams”. Dreams which lead to action, to participation,

  • to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.

  • In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building

  • a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners,

  • because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that

  • so many of you are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before

  • us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American

  • democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were

  • often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present.

  • Nonetheless, when the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins

  • and the errors of the past. We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible,

  • as we educate new generations not to turn their back on ourneighborsand everything

  • around us. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others,

  • rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in

  • a constant effort to do our best. I am confident that we can do this.

  • Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World

  • War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. On this continent,

  • too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves

  • and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for

  • our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as

  • persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best

  • we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal.

  • We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let

  • us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt

  • 7:12).

  • This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion

  • and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities

  • which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves.

  • In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life;

  • if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the

  • yardstick which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility

  • to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.

  • This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels

  • for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best,

  • since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and

  • society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Recently my

  • brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the

  • death penalty. Not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those

  • who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension

  • of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.

  • In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant

  • of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her

  • passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her

  • faith, and the example of the saints.How much progress has been made in this area in so

  • many parts of the world! How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium

  • to raise people out of extreme poverty! I know that you share my conviction that much

  • more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship a spirit of

  • global solidarity must not be lost. At the same time I would encourage you to keep in

  • mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be

  • given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many

  • fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the past, are

  • working to deal with this problem.

  • It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of

  • wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the

  • harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks

  • to be modern, inclusive and sustainable. “Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing

  • wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful

  • source of prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation

  • of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good” (Laudato Si’, 129).

  • This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of the encyclical which I

  • recently wrote in order toenter into dialogue with all people about our common home” (ibid.,

  • 3). “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge

  • we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (ibid., 14).

  • In Laudato Si’, I call for a courageous and responsible effort toredirect our

  • steps” (ibid., 61), and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration

  • caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference and

  • I have no doubt that the United Statesand this Congresshave an important role to

  • play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a “culture

  • of care” (ibid., 231) andan integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity

  • to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (ibid., 139). “We have the freedom

  • needed to limit and direct technology” (ibid., 112); “to devise intelligent ways of

  • developing and limiting our power” (ibid., 78); and to put technologyat the service

  • of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral

  • (ibid., 112). In this regard, I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and

  • research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.

  • A century ago, at the beginning of the Great War, which Pope Benedict XV termed a “pointless

  • slaughter”, another notable American was born: the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He

  • remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people. In his autobiography

  • he wrote: “I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God, I was nevertheless

  • the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into

  • which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God,

  • and yet hating him; born to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory

  • hungers”. Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes

  • of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue,

  • a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.

  • From this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts made in recent

  • months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. It

  • is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to do

  • the same. When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue – a dialogue

  • which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasonsnew opportunities

  • open up for all. This has required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same

  • as irresponsibility. A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind,

  • seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always

  • opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 222-223).

  • Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize

  • and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have

  • to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering

  • on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money

  • that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable

  • silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.

  • Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty;

  • Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice

  • and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to

  • God.

  • Four representatives of the American people.

  • I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in the World Meeting

  • of Families. It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent

  • theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy

  • it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family,

  • which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships

  • are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can

  • only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.

  • In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable,

  • the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet

  • so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse

  • and despair. Their problems

  • are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about

  • them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At

  • the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures

  • young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet

  • this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from

  • starting a family.

  • A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a

  • culture which enables people todreamof full rights for all their brothers and

  • sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause

  • of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which

  • becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.

  • In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage,

  • of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop

  • and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which

  • has inspired so many people to dream.

  • God bless America!

Mr. Speaker. The Pope of the Holy See. Members of Congress, I have the high privilege

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