Pope Francis, a ‘champion of the most marginalized': UN
Images of the late Pope Francis are displayed on screens in the General Assembly ahead of a special commemorative session to pay tribute to him at UN headquarters in New York on April 29. (Photo: UN/Vatican Media)
NEW YORK: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has praised the late Pope Francis as a 'champion of the most marginalized people on earth' and urged UN officials and members to carry forward his message of hope.Remembering Francis as a "messenger of hope," Guterres reminded his listeners that it is up to them to 'carry this hope forward."
Guterres made his remarks during a special commemorative session organized at the UN headquarters in New York, United States, on April 29, Vatican News reported on April 30. "As we mourn the death of Pope Francis, let us renew our commitment to peace, human dignity, and social justice - the causes to which he dedicated every moment of his extraordinary life,' Guterres said.Francis died on April 21 due to a stroke followed by a cardiac arrest at the age of 88. He was interred at the Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome on April 26.Guterres emphasized that Francis "was a voice of community in a world of division," "a voice of mercy in a world of cruelty," and "a voice of peace in a world of war."He noted that Francis spoke about the UN's ideal of a 'united human family harmony, working not only for peace, but in peace, working not only for justice, but in a spirit of justice."He also extended the UN's condolences to the Catholic community and others around the world and hailed Francis as 'a man of faith and a bridge-builder among all faiths.'
Early experiences in charity
Guterres pointed out that before leading the Catholic Church for more than 12 years, Francis had decades of experience in service and good works among the poor in the slums of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. "These early experiences sharpened his conviction that faith must be an engine of action and change,' Guterres emphasized.
Francis was an "unstoppable voice for social justice and equality," Guterres said while adding that his 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (Brothers and Sisters All), drew a straight line between greed and poverty, hunger, inequality and suffering.
"While decrying the inequality that defines our globalized economy, he also warned against what he called the 'globalization of indifference,'" Guterres said.
Francis' humanity and humility
Guterres recalled he was struck by Francis' humanity and humility during his first meeting with the Argentinian pontiff at the Vatican in 2019."He always saw challenges through the eyes of those on the peripheries of life,' Guterres recalled while echoing Francis' message and actions of reaching out to those in the far-flung and forgotten areas of the Church and the world.
Hailing Francis as a 'pilgrim of peace,' Guterres pointed out that the pope ventured to war-torn countries around the world, from Iraq to South Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He hailed Francis for decrying bloodshed and violence and pushing for reconciliation.
Champion of migrants, innocent and suffering
Guterres recalled Francis' first official visit as a pope to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa in 2013 "to put a global spotlight on the desperate plight of asylum seekers and migrants."
At that time, Francis warned against ''the culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people,'' Guterres said.
The Pope also "called on all countries to welcome, promote, accompany and integrate those who,' knock on their doors, Guterres recalled.
Francis also "stood with conviction for innocents caught in war zones such as Ukraine and Gaza,' Guterres said, adding that the pope not only used his global platform but acted in more personal and profound ways.
Guterres recalled how Francis called up the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City and enquired about the health and well-being of the people there, asking questions that ''a father would ask.'"
During his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, Francis resolutely called for the ending of conflicts across the world, he noted.--ucanews.com
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