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Pope Francis XIV: People always come before borders and institutions
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Pope Francis XIV: People always come before borders and institutions

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Pope Francis XIV advocated for prioritizing people over borders and institutions at an international gathering in Rimini, Italy.
  • He urged participants to connect with what fundamentally unites humans, emphasizing that peace is fostered by people who embrace dialogue.
  • The pontiff also cautioned against confrontation, promoting mercy as the response to evil and calling for the purification of life from unjust power dynamics.

Pope Francis XIV championed the primacy of individuals over national boundaries and institutional structures during an international meeting in Rimini, Italy. Addressing approximately 5,000 attendees, the pontiff encouraged a focus on the inherent connections between people, transcending all forms of division and conflict.

Before borders, definitions, and institutions, there are always people.

— Pope Francis XIVDuring an international gathering in Rimini, Italy, Pope Francis XIV emphasized the importance of human connection over national and institutional boundaries.

"We can identify with one another, listen to each other, and become friends, person to person, and therefore, also people to people. Before borders, definitions, and institutions, there are always people," Francis XIV stated. He further elaborated that peace is maintained and spread by individuals who enjoy gathering and are unafraid of dialogue.

Peace is maintained and spread by individuals who enjoy gathering and are unafraid of dialogue.

— Pope Francis XIVThe pontiff linked the cultivation of peace to the willingness of people to engage with one another.

The Pope also issued a strong warning against a confrontational mindset, advocating for mercy as the antidote to evil. He asserted that following Christ in the 21st century requires a clear understanding: "Evil is not fought with evil." He contrasted this with a "false realism" that he believes fuels conflict, proposing instead the "realism of mercy," which acknowledges no enemies and views all, even adversaries, as brothers and sisters to be met with truth.

Evil is not fought with evil.

— Pope Francis XIVPope Francis XIV advocated for mercy as the appropriate response to wrongdoing.

Francis XIV called for a purification of all aspects of life, thoughts, interests, habits, relationships, projects, and investments, from the "culture of power." He urged the liberation of coexistence from distrust, arrogance, ideology, the idolatry of profit, and the destructive pursuits of technology and finance. He specifically targeted unjust power relations within organizations, identifying them as the root of poverty, inequality, war, and environmental crises. The Pope also advocated for disarming technology when it becomes pervasive and destructive, encouraging a future that is not defined by weariness and despair but by renewed dreams and visions.

We can identify with one another, listen to each other, and become friends, person to person, and therefore, also people to people.

— Pope Francis XIVThe Pope encouraged attendees to recognize their shared humanity beyond any divisions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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