Pope Francis inaugurated the 94th Judiciary at the Vatican.
Joey Kariveli, Vatican City
The Pope said that our thirst for peace and justice is increasing in the face of a kind of self-destructive conflicts in the world today.
Pope Francis said this while inaugurating the ninety-fourth Judiciary at the Vatican on Saturday (25/02/23).
The Pope recalled the terrible ordeal of the Covid-19 pandemic and the hope for an early recovery after the crisis, which fostered widespread solidarity, but which, unfortunately, the outbreak of the Ukraine war has exacerbated the crisis. Faced with these situations, the Pope said, the need to bear witness to help build peace and justice is strengthened in our conscience.
The Pope explained that every effort for peace implies an effort for justice and demands a commitment to justice, and that peace without justice is not true peace, it has no solid foundation or future potential. The Pope exhorted that justice is not an abstract or imaginary creation, but in the Bible, it is the honest and faithful fulfillment of all obligations to God and the execution of God’s will.
Emphasizing that justice is a virtue, the Pope reminded us that it must be cultivated through striving for personal transformation and practiced along with the fundamental virtues of prudence, courage and temperance. The Pope said that this virtue is specially entrusted to the responsibility of those in the sphere of justice to restore the peace that has been destroyed between and within society, between members of society who are at odds with each other.
The Pope added that the path of justice makes possible a brotherhood that protects all, especially the most vulnerable. The Pope also highlighted the fact that the Church fulfills her mission above all when she bears witness in word and deed to the mercy she has freely received.
