Pope encourages Marxists and Christians to fight corruption, uphold rule-of-law

By Salvatore Cernuzio

People who are poor, unemployed, homeless, immigrants, or exploited, as well as all those killed by past dictatorships and turned into rubbish by the "throwaway culture" of the present: the level of a society's civilisation is measured by the way they are treated, the Pope said.

Pope Francis reiterated the centrality of the vulnerable as well as the urgency of countering the triple "scourge" of corruption, abuse of power, and lawlessness—both in politics and in society—in his address on Wednesday with representatives of the DIALOP transversal dialogue project.

This is a dialogue project between socialists/Marxists, communists, and Christians aimed at formulating a common social ethic that can be proposed as a new narrative for a Europe in search of its identity, with an integral ecology between the Social Doctrine of the Church and Marxist social critique at its core.

The initiative was born in 2014 after a meeting between Pope Francis, Alexis Tsipras, then president of the Syriza party and later Greek prime minister after 2015, Walter Baier, president of the Party of the European Left, and Franz Kronreif of the Focolare Movement (both present at the audience).

"Do not stop dreaming"

Pope Francis received this morning, in the Paul VI Hall, before the General Audience, 15 members—7 from the left and 8 Catholics from different European countries—of this association.

He shared with them his pain for a world that today appears "divided by wars and polarizations" and, on the other hand, his encouragement to look to the future and try to imagine a "better world."

"We Argentinians say: don't wrinkle, don't go backwards. And this is the invitation I extend to you too: don't back down, don't give up, don't stop dreaming of a better world."

Freedom, equality, dignity, fraternity

"It is in the imagination, in fact, that intelligence, intuition, experience, and historical memory meet to create, venture, and risk," the Pope stressed.

He recalled how, over the centuries, "it has been the great dreams of freedom and equality, of dignity and fraternity, a reflection of God's dream, that have produced progress and advances."

In this sense, the Pope indicated three attitudes for DIALOP to carry out its commitment: the courage to break the mould, attention to the weak, and promotion of a culture based on the rule-of-law.

Turning the tide

Having the courage to break the mould means "opening up, in dialogue, to new ways."

"In an era marked at various levels by conflicts and disagreements, let us not lose sight of what can still be done to reverse the course," he said.

"Against rigid approaches that divide, let us cultivate confrontation and listening with an open heart, without excluding anyone, at the political, social, and religious levels, so that the contribution of each one can, in his or her concrete peculiarity, be positively accepted in the processes of change to which our future is committed," Pope Francis exhorted.

Criticism of finance and market mechanisms

The Pope then called for constant attention to be paid to the weak because the measure of a civilisation is evident in how it treats those on the margins of society.

In off-the-cuff remarks, the Pope recalled the history of the recent past. "Let us not forget that the great dictatorships—think of Nazism—discarded the vulnerable and killed them," he said.

He urged world leaders to put in place policies that are "truly at the service of humanity," saying society "cannot allow itself to be dictated by finance and market mechanisms."

"Solidarity, besides being a moral virtue, is a requirement of justice, which requires correcting distortions and purifying the intentions of unjust systems, as well as radical changes of perspective in the sharing of challenges and resources among men and among peoples," the Pope said.

And he defined "social poets" those who dedicate themselves to this field, because "poetry is creativity," and here it is a question of "putting creativity at the service of society, so that it becomes more human and fraternal."

Fighting corruption and illegality

Finally, Pope Francis encouraged a culture based on the rule-of-law.

"Fight the scourge of corruption, abuses of power, and illegality," he said, because "only in honesty, in deeds, can healthy relationships be established and we can cooperate with trust and efficiency in the construction of a better future."

Hence he expressed his gratitude for the "courage" to work "for a more just and peaceful world" and the recommendation that "the Gospel of Jesus Christ may always inspire and illuminate your research and actions."

During the audience, the DIALOP group presented to the Pope the results of the work of the last ten years, carried out also with the support of the Dicastery for Catholic Culture and Education.

"Beyond religious and ideological boundaries, Christians and Marxists, as well as people of good will," the association explained in a note, "recognise today that they are united in their commitment to the end of armed conflicts in the world and the security of the most basic human rights, in order to guarantee social equilibrium and peace for humanity."