The following is an excerpt of Pope Francis’ message to community leaders taking part in a regional meeting of popular movements in Modesto, California. The February 16 – 18 encounter has been organized with the support of the Vatican’s new Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, the U.S. Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the National Network of People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO).
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
First of all, I would like to congratulate you for your effort in replicating on a national level the work being developed in the World Meetings of Popular Movements. By way of this letter, I want to encourage and strengthen each one of you, your organizations, and all who strive with you for “Land, Work and Housing,” the three T’s in Spanish: Tierra, Trabajo y Techo. I congratulate you for all that you are doing.
How I wish that such constructive energy would spread to all dioceses, because it builds bridges between peoples and individuals. These are bridges that can overcome the walls of exclusion, indifference, racism, and intolerance.
I would also like to highlight the work done by the PICO National Network and the organizations promoting this meeting. I learned that PICO stands for “People Improving Communities through Organizing”. What a great synthesis of the mission of popular movements: to work locally, side by side with your neighbors, organizing among yourselves, to make your communities thrive.
A few months ago in Rome, we talked at the third World Meeting of Popular Movements about walls and fear, about bridges and love. Without wanting to repeat myself, these issues do challenge our deepest values.
We know that none of these ills began yesterday. For some time, the crisis of the prevailing paradigm has confronted us. I am speaking of a system that causes enormous suffering to the human family, simultaneously assaulting people’s dignity and our Common Home in order to sustain the invisible tyranny of money that only guarantees the privileges of a few.
The economic system that has the god of money at its center, and that sometimes acts with the brutality of the robbers in the parable, inflicts injuries that to a criminal degree have remained neglected. Nothing is done systematically to heal the social wounds or to confront the structures that leave so many brothers and sisters by the wayside.
The system’s gangrene cannot be whitewashed forever because sooner or later the stench becomes too strong; and when it can no longer be denied, the same power that spawned this state of affairs sets about manipulating fear, insecurity, quarrels, and even people’s justified indignation, in order to shift the responsibility for all these ills onto a “non-neighbor”. I am not speaking of anyone in particular, I am speaking of a social and political process that flourishes in many parts of the world and poses a grave danger for humanity.
I know that you have committed yourselves to fight for social justice, to defend our Sister Mother Earth and to stand alongside migrants. I want to reaffirm your choice and share two reflections in this regard.
First, the ecological crisis is real. “A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.” Science is not the only form of knowledge, it is true. It is also true that science is not necessarily “neutral”—many times it conceals ideological views or economic interests. However, we also know what happens when we deny science and disregard the voice of Nature. I make my own everything that concerns us as Catholics.
The other is a reflection that I shared at our most recent World Meeting of Popular Movements, and I feel is important to say it again: no people is criminal and no religion is terrorist. Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist. No people is criminal or drug-trafficking or violent. “The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence yet, without equal opportunities, the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and will eventually explode.” There are fundamentalist and violent individuals in all peoples and religions—and with intolerant generalizations they become stronger because they feed on hate and xenophobia. By confronting terror with love, we work for peace.
Full story at Vatican Radio.
Unbelievable, that a pope would elevate what was an originally-Alinsky-inspired and -guided organization, “PICO” (fka “Pacific Institute of Community Organizing”–they used to give out “Rules for Radicals” to new co-workers as a standard employment guide) –to the level of personal recipients of a papal letter.
Unbelievable. I thank God my dear father didn’t live to see this extraordinary level of papal error.
And 3 choice plums of Bergoglio-double-speak and doctrine-drift:
“ For some time, the crisis of the prevailing paradigm has confronted us.” Huh?
“First, the ecological crisis is real.” Is that an article of Faith now? So the pope is now dogmatic scientific expert?
“..And Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist.” You, Your Holiness, are seriously, desperately, out of touch with reality.
This was a big deal meeting organized by the Vatican. Cardinal Torlakson, the head of the Vatican department that sponsored the event was in attendance along with priests and bishops from the area. Lots of agencies and groups that help deliver social justice aid to people interacted and developed plans, etc.
Bob One,
It might have been organized by the Vatican, but it was hijacked by anarchists! PICO was one of the major supporters and they are backed by George Soros whom is trying to bring down the Church and our Government. These smart men who head our Church were ‘duped’! I think they are so concentrating on the poor and clean water, etc…..that they have forgotten or have no knowledge of the evil that is behind this group!
Pray for the Pope, the Bishops and the Priests!!!
Peace be with You!