The Pope from the Andes: 'Never give in to violence, it is not the path to progress'

"Let us think, in these places, of the suffering of those forced to leave their homeland to seek a better future, for themselves and their loved ones, in the great coastal cities; or of the difficulties of generational renewal linked to the declining birth rate, which empties out the villages; or of the challenge of the fair sharing of the benefits tied to the resources of the land. Faced with so many hardships, one may be tempted to give in to discouragement, resentment, or even violence, but this will never be the path of progress and peace." Pope Leo reaches his third significant stop in Peru, the parish of Santa Cruz located at over 2,000 meters of altitude on the Andean cordillera, a remote place reached by taking rough trails or up the bumpy 'carretera' with sharp curves and steep slopes, where, however, a treasure of traditions, popular devotion, Andean culture, and traces of Inca civilization lies hidden, and on which he wants to shine the spotlight of the world. A concentration of history and culture that he knows firsthand, from the days when he himself, as a missionary bishop, would spend four hours by car to climb up here to celebrate Mass. Today, as Pope, 40 minutes by helicopter were enough. "I come among you as a missionary," he begins, after having consecrated his entire Petrine ministry to the Immaculate Conception at the cathedral of Chiclayo, "here faith gives value to the land, to honest work, and to the family," which represent a "healthy antidote to the superficiality and consumerism rampant today." Video At two thousand meters in the Andes, the Pope by helicopter and jeep to celebrate Mass "Even today the darkness continues to lurk and seems to envelop us completely," he had said in the morning. Also for this reason, even though "we feel threatened by the uncertainty of widespread violence, by the unspeakable suffering that continues to strike so many brothers and sisters," "selfishness, injustice, and evil — the Pontiff emphasizes — are not overcome with brutality, but with prayer, with patience, with perseverance in denouncing what is wrong, asking forcefully and working diligently so that the necessary changes may come about." "There is a close bond — he therefore encourages the people, some 20,000 of whom came, even by walking mountain trails — between faith, prayer, and action. Where there is faith, there is prayer, and where there is prayer, there is the capacity for commitment to others. You, the inhabitants of these lands, know this well. Despite many difficulties, you have never lost confidence in yourselves. It is faith that makes you great in your aspirations and in your projects." "In this regard — he concludes —, I would like to praise those who, with ingenuity and enterprise, strive to provide dignified work for people: farmers, merchants, small business owners, and many others who here, day by day, employ the talents they have received for the benefit of the communities, helping to promote, through employment, authentic models of integral human development." Video Peru, the Pope at the University of which he was Grand Chancellor, in Chiclayo Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA