Pope Leo XIV via the Vatican:
We are poor by birth, in need of bread and words, of care and affection — that is, of all that nourishes body and spirit. We know this well, and yet, as we become adults, we risk forgetting it. It is precisely those in need who suffer the greatest consequences of this forgetfulness, whenever their humanity is betrayed or cast aside, exploited or deceived. Forgetting the circumstances of our birth obscures the very idea of human life, because it detaches life from the history common to us all. Thus, life is no longer understood as a gift, but as a commodity. It is no longer viewed as a summons to care and responsibility, but as a product to be exploited….
Freedom is indeed beautiful when it is oriented toward goodness and truth; it is disfigured when it descends into arbitrariness, violence or the thirst for power….
Humanity had come to realize that scientific progress, when severed from wisdom, can turn into a weapon of destruction; that culture, when subjected to ideology, can degenerate into falsehood and propaganda; and that education, when it abandons the truth, can become an instrument for manipulating consciences….
The paradox has become increasingly evident: while “intelligence” is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded….
This painful reality invites us to reflect both on the fragility of our human nature and on the immense dignity of every human person — a dignity that remains undiminished even in the most vulnerable circumstances, even to death itself. The human being is certainly one who is born, but also one who dies. Our dignity is not destroyed by illness or suffering, nor is it dependent upon our abilities. Rather, it calls for loving care at every stage of life….
Today, in particular, we possess the means to connect people and continents instantaneously, yet, at the same time, we are witnessing new forms of isolation, material and spiritual poverty, and abandonment. Communication has become much faster, but not necessarily more truthful. Information is abundant, but it is not synonymous with wisdom. Without a shared ethical foundation, the many channels of communication risk multiplying false information and giving currency to words devoid of meaning, thereby hindering dialogue rather than fostering it….
Those who teach and those who conduct research know that error enslaves us to ignorance and superstition. Whenever we encounter obstacles to our mission, let us remember that there is one earth for all and a common human nature. The human being cannot be understood by separating what belongs together: body and soul, personal life and relationships, our relationship with others and with the environment. All form part of the unity of our existence. For this reason, cultivating the earth also means cultivating the humanity that inhabits it. Education and science are called to this task….
The touchstone by which we can assess our commitment is the care we show for the littlest and for the poor: children in their mothers’ wombs and in the various theaters of war, persons with physical and intellectual disabilities, the elderly, migrants refugees, and all those arrogantly excluded as unproductive. They are the true test of our claims to respect human dignity, and their protection and promotion extend also to creation….
We are not journeying toward oblivion. That is why the human spirit, in its relationship with God, senses all the more keenly the call to cultivate peace through a covenant among peoples who realize that they are children of the same Father, brothers and sisters to one another.
