Pope's Address at Ground Zero

Zenit.org ^ | 09-25-15 | Pope Francis

[Salvation]

Pope's Address at Ground Zero

"This flowing water reminds us of yesterday’s tears, but also of all the tears still being shed today"

• New York City, September 25, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Staff Reporter | 1905 hits

  Here is a Vatican translation of the address Pope Francis gave today at an interreligious ceremony at Ground Zero. He began the Spanish-language address apologizing for being unable to give it in English.

  * * *

  Dear Friends,

  I feel many different emotions standing here at Ground Zero, where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruction. Here grief is palpable. The water we see flowing towards that empty pit reminds us of all those lives which fell prey to those who think that destruction, tearing down, is the only way to settle conflicts. It is the silent cry of those who were victims of a mindset which knows only violence, hatred and revenge. A mindset which can only cause pain, suffering, destruction and tears.

  The flowing water is also a symbol of our tears. Tears at so much devastation and ruin, past and present. This is a place where we shed tears, we weep out of a sense of helplessness in the face of injustice, murder, and the failure to settle conflicts through dialogue. Here we mourn the wrongful and senseless loss of innocent lives because of the inability to find solutions which respect the common good. This flowing water reminds us of yesterday’s tears, but also of all the tears still being shed today.

  A few moments ago I met some of the families of the fallen first responders. Meeting them made me see once again how acts of destruction are never impersonal, abstract or merely material. They always have a face, a concrete story, names. In those family members, we see the face of pain, a pain which still touches us and cries out to heaven.

  At the same time, those family members showed me the other face of this attack, the other face of their grief: the power of love and remembrance. A remembrance that does not leave us empty and withdrawn. The name of so many loved ones are written around the towers’ footprints. We can see them, we can touch them, and we can never forget them.

  Here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are capable of, those hidden reserves of strength from which we can draw. In the depths of pain and suffering, you also witnessed the heights of generosity and service. Hands reached out, lives were given. In a metropolis which might seem impersonal, faceless, lonely, you demonstrated the powerful solidarity born of mutual support, love and self-sacrifice. No one thought about race, nationality, neighborhoods, religion or politics. It was all about solidarity, meeting immediate needs, brotherhood. It was about being brothers and sisters. New York City firemen walked into the crumbling towers, with no concern for their own wellbeing. Many succumbed; their sacrifice enabled great numbers to be saved.

  This place of death became a place of life too, a place of saved lives, a hymn to the triumph of life over the prophets of destruction and death, to goodness over evil, to reconciliation and unity over hatred and division.

  It is a source of great hope that in this place of sorrow and remembrance I can join with leaders representing the many religious traditions which enrich the life of this great city. I trust that our presence together will be a powerful sign of our shared desire to be a force for reconciliation, peace and justice in this community and throughout the world. For all our differences and disagreements, we can live in a world of peace. In opposing every attempt to create a rigid uniformity, we can and must build unity on the basis of our diversity of languages, cultures and religions, and lift our voices against everything which would stand in the way of such unity. Together we are called to say “no” to every attempt to impose uniformity and “yes” to a diversity accepted and reconciled.

  This can only happen if we uproot from our hearts all feelings of hatred, vengeance and resentment. We know that that is only possible as a gift from heaven. Here, in this place of remembrance, I would ask everyone together, each in his or her own way, to spend a moment in silence and prayer. Let us implore from on high the gift of commitment to the cause of peace. Peace in our homes, our families, our schools and our communities. Peace in all those places where war never seems to end. Peace for those faces which have known nothing but pain. Peace throughout this world which God has given us as the home of all and a home for all. Simply PEACE.

  In this way, the lives of our dear ones will not be lives which will one day be forgotten. Instead, they will be present whenever we strive to be prophets not of tearing down but of building up, prophets of reconciliation, prophets of peace.

[Biggirl]

Tonight I had heard the Pope touched upon scriputure in his reflection.

[daniel1212]

In opposing every attempt to create a rigid uniformity, we can and must build unity on the basis of our diversity of languages, cultures and religions, and lift our voices against everything which would stand in the way of such unity. Together we are called to say “no” to every attempt to impose uniformity and “yes” to a diversity accepted and reconciled.

It is really giving me a headache. The Vicar Of Christ is saying we must build a diversity of religions?

He is not the Vicar Of Christ, nor is any RC pope , but that sentence was the most revealing to me as well, and consistent with the big tent ecumenism that even declares,

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”" - Pope Francis —http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2013/05/22/pope_at_mass_culture_of_encounter_is_the_foundation_of_peace/en1-694445

[onedoug]

What has been his excuse to that point?

With the exception of having met with the Little Sisters of the Poor, I, personally, have been very disappointed with his trip...despite all the cheering he gets.

I wonder, what for? Secularism and politics?

[fatima]

Not really,I have a friend who I met on facebook through our prayer group.She went to see the Holy Father when he came to visit.They walked in the rain and slept on the streets only to walk the next day.They were many blocks away and saw video but had no audio.They walked back doing the same and sleeping in the streets.I asked her how it was.Pilgrimage is for the crazy in love.She said Wonderful.There were 6 million that came.Link
Pope leaves Asia after record 6M attend Mass
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/01/18/millions-attend-pope-mass/21950087/

[fatima]

My assessment of the Pope’s visit.We expected more.I didn’t.He went positive and did not do the negative.I do not favor this Pope and Benedict was my favorite but I am very conservative.I will not explain what he says nor do I agree with some things he says.But I will not bash him.

[avenir]

Amen!

It sounds harsh to modern ears, but unsaved people are not “all God’s children”. They are enemies of God until reconciled through the blood of His Son! To those who believe in His name, to THEM God gives the right to become children of God.

Of course, this will never fly in an interfaith setting.

[HossB86]

Ooooh.... Gonna. Leave. A. Mark.

:)

Hoss

[avenir]

It got my attention, and an AMEN!

[fatima]

Have no idea.I can’t read this Pope but he was on a mission and in our country we call it Politics.His climate control,immigration and who has the money was in mostly all his talks.I agree.

[Tax-chick]

Asia has a different scale of “big crowd”!

[Cvengr]

A true love for one’s fellow man would be expressed by leading unbelievers to Christ without any distraction of diversity. Narrow is the gate. We are one body, not diverse bodies, accepting one another.

There also is confusion of universal atonement with universal redemption. Our Lord Christ Jesus provided an atonement of all humanity to God the Father, but the redemption of each sinner happens through faith in Christ. Faith absent of Christ fails to provide redemption nor does it reconcile any particular soul to God the Father.

[daniel1212]

There also is confusion of universal atonement with universal redemption. Our Lord Christ Jesus provided an atonement of all humanity to God the Father, but the redemption of each sinner happens through faith in Christ. Faith absent of Christ fails to provide redemption nor does it reconcile any particular soul to God the Father.

Except when Scripture is not reverenced as your supreme authority and you are your own.

[NKP_Vet]

Francis could learn how to deal with murdering Muslims if he used this man as an example.

“On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a cry of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!”.

How about Pope Francis calling a Holy War against this murdering madmen, who are trying to wipe Christians off the face of the earth.

[fatima]

It’s crazy down there.Took them 4 hours to get through security.Still have time to see the Mass.

[Syncro]

With the exception of having met with the Little Sisters of the Poor

Too bad he couldn't tell them that he told Obama to let them have religious freedom when he (Obama) lied to the pope by telling him that he is a great supporter of religious freedom.
While at the same tine granting Islam free reign and clamping down on Christians, like the Little Sisters, by insisting that they go against their beliefs by allow the supplying of medications that when taken kill a baby in a pregnant woman.

The pope was very effective in not supporting the Pro Life Christians.

[Tax-chick]

Wow. I’m glad they made it at least.

[MayflowerMadam]

When, oh when, is this person GOING HOME? He needs to butt out of American politics and STFU.

[onedoug]

I don’t know what was said there, but overall his trip here has been very disappointing. Very little Christ. Very weak references to abortion, and none to its totality. No condemnation of make-believe same sex “marriage”....

Very disappointing indeed.

[dsc]

“That would be considered hate speech today ...”

No, just stupid.

[dsc]

“Ooooh.... Gonna. Leave. A. Mark.”

Not even a little.

Truth stings; lunatic ranting does not.

Of course, I would never characterize the writings of Daniel1212 as lunatic ranting, even though everything he knows about Catholicism is wrong, because that would be against the rules.

Of course, if anyone not a poster here were to say the same things, any rational Christian would doubt that person’s sanity. One is not allowed, however, to doubt the sanity of another poster, no matter how misguided, and so I make no such statement.

Neither will I bother to respond to any acolytes of the Father of Lies who may wish to spray venom in my direction.