Pope Francis proposes 3 Christian attitudes for caring for our common home

This Saturday, Pope Francis gave a speech at the Catholic University of Leuven, in Belgium, focused on the future of humanity and ecology. The Pontiff highlighted three Christian attitudes necessary to address the care of our common home: gratitude, mission and fidelity.

At the beginning of his speech, the Holy Father showed empathy for the concerns of young people by saying: “We see well how violent and arrogant the evil that destroys the environment and people is.” Then, he linked ecological problems with the aggressiveness of contemporary society, stating that “war is its most brutal expression; as are corruption and modern forms of slavery.”

Addressing the relationship between Christianity and ecology, Pope Francis noted that the Christian faith has a clear project for the “common home of all humanity.” And he summarized this project in three words: “gratitude, mission and fidelity”.

The Pope explained that the gratitude It must be the first attitude towards creation: “This house has been donated to us; “We are not bosses, we are guests and pilgrims on earth.” He made reference to the eighth Psalm: “Thank you, Father, for the starry sky and for life in this universe.”

As for the missionnoted that Christians are called to guard the beauty of creation “and cultivate it for the good of all, especially for posterity, in the near future.” However, he warned that no development plan will be successful if “arrogance, violence and rivalry remain in our consciences.”

Finally, he stressed the importance of fidelity to God and man, linking this attitude with a comprehensive development that encompasses “all aspects” of human life: “physical, moral, cultural, sociopolitical; and this is opposed by any form of oppression and discard.”

“The Church denounces these abuses, committing itself above all to the conversion of each of its members, of ourselves, to justice and truth. In this sense, integral development appeals to our holiness: it is a vocation to a just and happy life, for all,” he added.

In another key point of the speech, Pope Francis spoke about the human ecologyconnecting this concept with the dignity of men and women in the Church. He stated that “dignity is assured by an original law, not written on paper, but in the flesh,” emphasizing that being feminine and masculine is not defined by ideologies, but by the “vocation to love and be loved.” .

In this sense, he invited everyone to see women in their central role in the life of the Church, saying that “a woman is a daughter, a sister, a mother,” on an equality with a man: “One for the other, not “against each other.”

Finally, the Pope addressed his words to the students, encouraging them to reflect on three fundamental questions for their academic life: How to study? Why study? And who to study for?.

In his reflection on how to studyhighlighted that “each person can cultivate their style,” but always in a community context: “Study is always a path to self-knowledge.” As for the why studystressed that one should not study just to get a job, warning: “You don’t live to work, but you work to live.” About who to study forPope Francis recalled that study is not an end in itself, but a means to “educate and serve others”, thus contributing to the common good.

The Pope concluded his intervention by calling on the students to be “seekers and witnesses of the truth”, reminding them that “the truth sets us free” (cf. Jn 8:32). He also asked them not to forget to pray for him.