what he wants to be forgiven for. But I ask you, in this silent prayer, let us
open our hearts to be able to forgive the society that has not been able to
help
us and that has often led us to err. From the depths of our hearts, may each
one
of us ask God to help us believe in his mercy".

___________________________________________________________

 Francis to the world of work: "God will hold enslavers to account"
 Vatican City, 17 February 2016 (VIS) - "I wanted to meet with you here in this
land of Juarez, because of the special relationship this city has with the
world
of labour. I am grateful not only for your words of welcome and for your
testimonies, which reveal the anxieties, joys and hopes of your lives, but also
for this opportunity to share and reflect together. Anything we can do to
foster
dialogue, encounter, and the search for better alternatives and opportunities
is
already an accomplishment to be valued and highlighted. And there are two words
that I want to underline: dialogue and encounter. Never tire of pursuing
dialogue. Wars gradually come about due to a lack of talking and encounter".
The
Holy Father addressed these words to representatives of the world of work,
businesspeople and workers, whom he encountered at the Colegio de Bachilleres
of
the State of Chihuahua in Ciudad Juarez at midday yesterday (8 p.m. in Rome).
 "Obviously more needs to be done than dialogue and encounter, but today we do
not have the luxury of missing any chance to encounter, any chance to discuss,
confront or explore. This is the only way we will be able to build for
tomorrow,
to create sustainable relationships capable of providing the needed framework
that, little by little, will rebuild the social bonds so damaged by a lack of
communication and by a lack of the minimal respect necessary for a healthy
coexistence. So I thank you, and I hope that this occasion may serve to build
the future. May it be a good opportunity to forge the Mexico that its people
and
children deserve".
 "I would like to dwell on this latter point. Here today there are various
workers' organisations and representatives of Commerce Chambers and business
associations. At first sight they could be considered as adversaries, but they
are united by the same responsibility: seeking to create employment
opportunities which are dignified and truly beneficial for society and
especially for the young of this land. One of the greatest scourges for young
people is the lack of opportunities for study and for sustainable and
profitable
work, which would permit them to work for the future. In many cases - many
cases
- this lack of opportunity leads to situations of poverty and rejection. This
poverty and rejection then becomes the best breeding ground for the young to
fall into the cycle of drug trafficking and violence. It is a luxury which
today
we cannot afford; we cannot allow the present and future of Mexico to be
isolated and abandoned. And for this to happen, dialogue, speaking face to
face,
and work opportunities are needed to help forge a constructive path ahead".
 "Unfortunately, the times we live in have imposed the paradigm of economic
utility as the starting point for personal relationships. The prevailing
mentality, everywhere, advocates for the greatest possible profits, immediately
and at any cost. This not only causes the ethical dimension of business to be
lost, but it also forgets that the best investment we can make is in people, in
individual persons and in families. The best investment is creating
opportunities. The prevailing mentality puts the flow of people at the service
of the flow of capital, resulting in many cases in the exploitation of
employees
as if they were objects to be used, discarded and thrown out. God will hold us
accountable for the slavery of our day, and we must do everything to make sure
that these situations do not happen again. The flow of capital cannot decide
the
flow and life of people. For this reason I liked that aspiration which was
expressed through dialogue, talking face to face".
 Francis observed that, when faced with tenets of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, it is frequently objected that "'these teachings would have us be
charitable organisations or transform our businesses into philanthropic
institutions'. We have heard this criticism. The only aspiration of the
Church's
Social Doctrine is to guard over the integrity of people and social structures.
Every time that, for whatever reason, this integrity is threatened or reduced
to
a consumer good, the Church's Social Doctrine will be a prophetic voice to
protect us all from being lost in the seductive sea of ambition. Every time
that
a person's integrity is violated, society, in a certain sense, begins to
decline. And this Social Doctrine of the Church is against no one, but in
favour
of all. Every sector has the obligation of looking out for the good of all; we
are all in the same boat. We all have to struggle to make sure that work is a
humanizing moment which looks to the future; that it is a space for building up
society and each person's participation in it. This attitude not only provides
an immediate improvement, but in the long run it will also transform society
into a culture capable of promoting a dignified space for everyone. This
culture, born many times out of tension, is creating a new style of
relationships, a new kind of nation".
 "What kind of world do we want to leave our children?", the Holy Father asked.
"I believe that the vast majority of us can agree. This is precisely our
horizon, our goal, and we have to come together and work for this. It is always
good to think about what I would like to leave my children; it is also a good
way to think of others' children. What kind of Mexico do you want to leave your
children? Do you want to leave them the memory of exploitation, of insufficient
pay, of workplace harassment, of trafficking in slave labour? Or do you want to
leave them a culture which recalls dignified labour, proper lodging, and land
to
be worked? The three 'L's': Labour, Lodging, Land. What type of culture do we
want for those who will come after us? What air will they breathe? An air
tainted by corruption, violence, insecurity and suspicion, or, on the contrary,
an air capable of generating - and the word is crucial - generating
alternatives, renewal and change? To generate is to be co-creators with God.
This, naturally, involves much effort".
 "I know that the issues raised are not easy, but it is worse to leave the
future in the hands of corruption, brutality and the lack of equity. I know it
is often not easy to bring all parties together in negotiations, but it is
worse, and we end up doing more harm, when there is a lack of negotiations and
appreciation. An old manager of labourers, a very honest man, who left this
world having earned every penny due to him and who never took advantage of
others, once said to me: 'Each time we had to sit down at the negotiating
table,
I knew that I had to lose something in order to make us all win something'.
This
is a good philosophy coming from the world of labour. I know it is not easy to
get along in an increasingly competitive world, but it is worse to allow the
competitive world to ruin the destiny of the people. Slaves. Profit and capital
are not a good over and above the human person; they are at the service of the
common good. When the common good is used only at the service of profit and
capital, this has a name: it is called exclusion, and through it the throwaway
culture gets stronger and stronger. Throwaway and exclusion".
 Recalling the testimony of one of the young people in the Morelia Stadium, who
had remarked that "this world robs us of the capacity to dream", Francis urged
"dialogue, speaking face to face, negotiating, and losing out at times so that
all can win. I invite you to dream of a Mexico that your children deserve; a
Mexico where no one is first, second, or fourth; a Mexico where each sees in
the
other the dignity of a child of God. May our Lady of Guadalupe, who made
herself
known to St. Juan Diego, and revealed how the seemingly abandoned were her
privileged witnesses, help you all, whatever your profession, whatever your
work, to take up this task of dialogue, face to face discussion, and
encounter".

___________________________________________________________

 Mass in Ciudad Juarez: no more death and exploitation
 Vatican City, 17 February 2016 (VIS) - "In this Year of Mercy, with you here,
I
beg for God's mercy; with you I wish to plead for the gift of tears, the gift
of
conversion", exclaimed the Pope yesterday during the Mass celebrated in the
fair
ground of Ciudad Juarez, on the frontier between Mexico and the United States.
The Holy Father toured the area several times in the popemobile to greet the
faithful gathered on both sides of the border.
 Awareness of violence, injustice and oppression, the need for conversion and
mercy, the "human tragedy" of forced migration to which this metropolis bears
witness, the scars of the illegal drugs trade and human trafficking, and at the
same time the possibility of changing this situation, were the main points of
the Holy Father's homily. He began with St. Irenaeus' celebrated assertion that
"the glory of God is the life of man", an expression that continues to echo in
the heart of the Church.
 "The glory of the Father is the life of his sons and daughters. There is no
greater glory for a father than to see his children blossom, no greater

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 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)