Pope Francis to young people: protect authenticity and dignity at work

In a message addressed to young people entering the world of work, Pope Francis advised them not to “give in to requests that humiliate them or cause discomfort, to ways of proceeding and demands that stain their authenticity.”

Pope Francis sent a message to Italian adolescents and young people participating in the LaborDìa day of reflection to promote decent work organized by the Christian Association of Italian Workers (ACLI).

The Holy Father began his intervention with an invitation to hope, reminding them that they are “made for the light” and encouraging them to leave their refuges or “burrows,” built especially when around “there is confusion or threats.”

After adolescence, the Pontiff continued, “the stage of the world opens.” Faced with this challenge, he assured them that with their contribution “the world can improve” and that “everything, really everything, can change.”

Likewise, he urged them to maintain awareness of their uniqueness, “which transcends any success or failure” and to establish sincere relationships with others, taking into account the quality of human life.

The Holy Father invited young people to “take care of their hearts,” especially when they reach the age of facing their first job. Faced with the demands and “too many recommendations” that they can experience in the world of work, he asked young people to “remain peaceful and free.”

“Do not bow down to requests that humiliate you or cause discomfort, to ways of proceeding and demands that stain your authenticity. To give your contribution, you must not accept anything, even evil,” Pope Francis warned.

He also advised them to avoid those “models in which they do not believe”, to only obtain social prestige or more money since, he assured, “evil alienates us, extinguishes our dreams, makes us lonely and resigned. The heart notices it, and when it is like that, we have to ask for help and team up with those who know us and care about us.”

He stated that “dreams can be realized together” and reiterated that, when work is organized without heart, “the human dignity of those who work, those who cannot find work, or those who adapt to unworthy work are in danger.”

He stressed that “results are not everything,” explaining that that is what machines are already there for. “Human, on the other hand, is the intelligence of the heart, the reason that understands the reasons of others, the imagination that creates what does not yet exist, the fantasy with which God has made us all different. We are unique pieces,” the Holy Father stressed.

Next, he asked the adults who accompany them not to bend or corrupt the young people: “Let us trust in what is sown in their hearts.”

Pope Francis concluded by encouraging young people to join their efforts and “build networks,” to repair the common home and rebuild human fraternity. “The human heart knows how to wait. The work that does not alienate, but rather liberates, begins in the heart,” he concluded.