In the Spanish Parliament, the Pope urges dialogue and respect for human dignity – Vatican News

Alexandra Sirgant – Special Envoy to Madrid

A rare platform for a Pope, unprecedented in Spain. For the first time in its history, the lower house of the Cortes Generales, the Spanish bicameral parliament, welcomed a Successor of Peter into its hemicycle. An unprecedented speech also for Leo XIV who had until then never given a speech in a political forum.

Underlining the historic nature of this visit, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Francina Armengol, recalled in her introductory speech the current global context, weakened by uncertainties and polarization which threatens to weaken democracies. HAS”Your words, the first uttered by a Sovereign Pontiff in this Chamber, will be remembered as a strong symbol: in the face of adversity, our strength lies in unity and consultation,”hammered the socialist deputy from the perch of a fragmented hemicycle, crossed by deep political divisions and important territorial divisions. A political fragmentation which nevertheless did not prevent all the forces of the country from giving the Pope a united ovation, for more than seven minutes, after his long speech.

 

The defense of human life, an objective of civilization

To the deputies and senators, Leo XIV recalled the “serious responsibility»Â which comes to all those responsible “to legally organize life in society.” “Every legislative task ends up confronting a decisive question: what conception of the human person inspires the laws and what type of society do these laws build?â€asked the Sovereign Pontiff.

In the past, Spain has contributed to forging a legal and moral conscience where “every human being must be recognized as a subject of rights and duties,”recalled the Holy Father, without forgetting to recognize that “society and the Church itself have not always lived up to the intuitions that found an echo in their own Christian tradition.”Today the Church, which “walks with humanity» and responds to the questions of each era, strives to recall the importance of recognition «of the inviolable dignity of the human personHAS”. A dignity put to the test by “the culture of rejection” and by the technological developments which are shaking up the 21st century.

But the defense of human life cannot be “a partisan issue nor a denominational interest”: elle doit ªtre “an objective of civilization”.Car, asked the Holy Father of the Spanish elected officials, “if life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have?«All human life must be recognized and protected from its conception until its natural decline, in all circumstances of its existenceHAS”. To do this, the Pope urges the representatives of the people to work together for the common good.

To migration challenges, a united and international response

The Pope continued his speech by deploring “the tragic drama of migration“, very example of the violation of human dignity which calls out today “the conscience of nations and the ethical foundations of the international orderHAS”. According to Leo XIV, a double requirement for social justice, highlighted in the encyclicalGreat humanityarises from the migration issue: “offer safe and legal pathways, a respectful welcome and real possibilities for integration; and promote, at the same time, the right to remain on one’s own land, working so that no one is forced to leave their homes for lack of peace, security or dignified living conditions, due to economic inequality and the effects of the climate crisisHAS”. A challenge of unprecedented magnitude which calls not for a national response, but for a“coordinated, united and effective response (…) capable of guaranteeing protection, welcome and real integration opportunities for those who emigrate».

In Europe, rediscover the value of dialogue

Respect for human dignity cannot be separated from the search for peace. HAS”The world is going through a profound spiritual and cultural crisis, which manifests itself in multiple forms of violence, polarization and mutual distrust.», to deploré the Popes. In this context, «peace appears as a political aspiration» and, even more, as a «a true moral requirementHAS”. However, on the international level,“Peace requires diplomatic courage, a sense of ethical responsibility and a vision of the future based on respect for the identity of each people and on the obligation of States to resolve their differences by the peaceful means offered by international law.”

The Pope, concerned about the rearmament movement that the European continent is experiencing, calls for a rediscovery of “the indispensable value of dialogue,”vector of confidence and hope. HAS”Political plurality should not degenerate into a permanent disqualification of the adversary,”underlined Leo XIV, but can on the contrary become a “path to peace», “when differences are reduced by listening”.

In this sense, language is of fundamental importance, underlined the day before by the Pope during his meeting with representatives of the world of culture gathered at the Movistar Arena: “any expression (…) can hurt or heal, destroy expectations or open horizons.”So, to put in guard Leo XIV, «those who exercise public responsibility therefore have a particular obligation to watch over speech in order to “disarm language”».

Faith cannot be relegated to silence

The Pope calls on the elected representatives of a Spanish society often described as secularized not to lose sight of the “duty to preserve the space where one’s convictions, conscience and relationship with God mature». Any company véritable democratic must guarantee «freedom of thought, conscience and religion, a fundamental right which protects the most intimate sphere of people”. «Faith does not claim to impose itself by privileges or constraintsassures the Pope. HAS”However, neither can it be relegated to silence as if it were of no importance to public life.”.

The Bishop of Rome concluded his speech by calling on deputies and senators to respond to the invitation made by the motto of this apostolic journey and taken from the Gospel according to Saint John, that of “Look up». «Not to distance you from reality, but to remind you that any decision by public authorities affects people in the flesh, in particular those who have the least strength to make themselves heard.».