Påve Franciskus tal från Malmö Arena 31 oktober

Sammanfattning av påvens tal på svenska

Påve Franciskus sa i sitt tal att kristen enhet är en prioritet eftersom mycket mer förenar oss än separerar oss. Han sa att dialogen har hjälpt oss att växa i ömsesidig förståelse och bekräftat vår önskan att nå fullständig enhet. Påve Franciskus kallade utvecklingsorganisationerna Caritas Internationalis och Lutherska världsförbundets World service för lysande exempel på hängivenhet och tjänst för nästan och uppmuntrade dem att fortsätta samarbeta.

Påve Franciskus kommenterade utförligt och personligt vittnesbörden från olika personer. Han sa bland annat att han instämde i oron för planeten. Han sa att han höll med om att de mest sårbara och behövande drabbas hårdast. Alla kristna är ansvariga för att skydda skapelsen, vår livsstil och våra handlingar måste stämma överens med vår tro.

Påven uppmanade till förbön för Colombia. Han kommenterade att en av deltagarna sagt att det hon gör är galenskap och la till: Vi behöver mer av denna galenskap, genomlyst av tro och tilltro till Gud.

Han kallade den yngsta talaren Roses vittnesbörd mycket rörande och tackade henne för hennes hängivenhet att få fler flickor att gå i skolan.

Påven tackade sedan alla regeringar som hjälper flyktingar och asylsökande. Han sa att för kristna är det prioriterat att möta världens marginaliserade.

Han kallade lidandet i Syrien för outsägligt och de som arbetar där för heroiska och beundransvärda. De är alla i våra hjärtan och böner sa han och fortsatte: Låt oss bönfalla om innerlig förvandling för de som är ansvariga för regionens öde.

Han avslutade med att säga att: låt oss inte bli nedslagna av vad vi hört utan när vi återvänder hem må vi ta med oss en hängivenhet för att göra dagliga gester av fred och försoning, så att vi blir modiga och trogna vittnen om Kristi hopp.

Läs talet i sin helhet på engelska nedan, eller på svenska hos Signum.

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis

Ecumenical Event in Malmö Arena
Monday, 31 October 2016

I thank God for this joint commemoration of the five-hundredth anniversary of
the Reformation. We remember this anniversary with a renewed spirit and in the
recognition that Christian unity is a priority, because we realize that much more
unites us than separates us. The journey we have undertaken to attain that unity is
itself a great gift that God gives us. With his help, today we have gathered here,
Lutherans and Catholics, in a spirit of fellowship, to direct our gaze to the one Lord, Jesus Christ.

Our dialogue has helped us to grow in mutual understanding; it has fostered
reciprocal trust and confirmed our desire to advance towards full communion. One
of the fruits of this dialogue has been cooperation between different organizations of the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. Thanks to this new atmosphere of understanding, Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation World Service will today sign a joint agreed statement aimed at
developing and strengthening a spirit of cooperation for the promotion of human
dignity and social justice. I warmly greet the members of both organizations; in a
world torn by wars and conflicts, they have been, and continue to be, a luminous
example of commitment and service to neighbour. I encourage you to advance along the path of cooperation.

I have listened closely to those who gave the witness talks, how amid so many
challenges they daily devote their lives to building a world increasingly responsive to God’s plan. Pranita talked about creation. Clearly, creation itself is a sign of God’s boundless love for us. Consequently, the gifts of nature can themselves lead us to contemplate God. I share your concern about the abuses harming our planet, our common home, and causing grave effects on the climate. As you rightly mentioned, their greatest impact is on those who are most vulnerable and needy; they are forced to emigrate in order to escape the effects of climate change. All of us, and we Christians in particular, are responsible for protecting creation. Our lifestyle and our actions must always be consistent with our faith. We are called to cultivate harmony within ourselves and with others, but also with God and with his
handiwork. Pranita, I encourage you to persevere in your commitment on behalf of
our common home.

Mgr Héctor Fabio told us of the joint efforts being made by Catholics and
Lutherans in Colombia. It is good to know that Christians are working together to
initiate communitarian and social processes of common interest. I ask you to pray
in a special way for that great country, so that, through the cooperation of all, peace, so greatly desired and necessary for a worthy human coexistence, can finally be achieved. May it be a prayer that also embraces all those countries where grave conflicts continue.

Marguerite made us aware of efforts to help children who are victims of
atrocities and to work for peace. This is both admirable and a summons to take
seriously the countless situations of vulnerability experienced by so many persons
who have no way to speak out. What you consider a mission has been a seed that
has borne abundant fruit and today, thanks to that seed, thousands of children can
study, grow and enjoy good health. I am grateful that even now, in exile, you
continue to spread a message of peace. You said that everybody who knows you
thinks that what you are doing is crazy. Of course, it is the craziness of love for God and our neighbour. We need more of this craziness, illuminated by faith and
confidence in God’s providence. Keep working, and may that voice of hope that you heard at the beginning of your adventure continue to move your own heart and the hearts of many young people.

Rose, the youngest, gave us a truly moving testimony. She was able to profit
from the talent God gave her through sport. Instead of wasting her energy on
adverse situations, she found fufilment in a fruitful life. While I was listening to
your story, I thought of the lives of so many young people who need to hear stories like yours. I would like everyone to know that they can discover how wonderful it is to be children of God and what privilege it is to be loved and cherished by him. Rose, I thank you from the heart for your efforts and your commitment to encouraging other young women to go back to school, and for the fact that you pray daily for peace in the young state of South Sudan, which so greatly needs it.

After hearing these powerful witnesses, which make us think of our own lives and how we respond to situations of need all around us, I would like to thank all those governments that assist refugees, displaced persons and asylum-seekers. For everything done to help these persons in need of protection is a great gesture of
solidarity and a recognition of their dignity. For us Christians, it is a priority to go
out and meet the outcasts and the marginalized of our world, and to make felt the
tender and merciful love of God, who rejects no one and accepts everyone.

Shortly we will hear the testimony of Bishop Antoine, who lives in Aleppo, a city brought to its knees by war, a place where even the most fundamental rights are
treated with contempt and trampled underfoot. Each day the news tells us about
the unspeakable suffering caused by the Syrian conflict, which has now lasted more than five years. In the midst of so much devastation, it is truly heroic that men and women have remained there in order to offer material and spiritual assistance to those in need. It is admirable too, that you, dear brother, continue working amid such danger in order to tell us of the tragic situation of the Syrian people. Every one of them is in our hearts and prayers. Let us implore the grace of heartfelt conversion for those responsible for the fate of that region.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us not become discouraged in the face of
adversity. May the stories we have heard motivate us and give us new impetus to
work ever more closely together. When we return home, may we bring with us a
commitment to make daily gestures of peace and reconciliation, to be valiant and
faithful witnesses of Christian hope.

Pope Francis