Pope lauds volunteers working with the poor

December 04, 2014

Pope Francis praised the work of the Federation of Christian Organisations for International Volunteer Service (FOCSIV) during a private audience with the group’s members on December 4.

“Your work alongside men and women in difficulty is a living announcement of the tenderness of Christ, Who walks alongside humanity in all times,” said the Pope. The Pope suggested that FOCSIV workers should try to identify potential leaders in poor communities and support their work. Such leaders, he said, “are organized, and above all they practice that solidarity that exists between those who suffer.”

The Pontiff also suggested that the group should work to protect the environment, saying that the exploitation of natural resources for profit can exacerbate the problems of poverty. “It is necessary to reaffirm that creation is not property from which we can derive pleasure and dispose of as we please, and much less the property of just a few,” he said.

Next, noting that FOCSIV is active in many countries that are now torn by war, the Pope said that the group is rightly “seeking with tenacious perseverance to disarm minds.” He praised the group’s work in refugee camps, while lamenting the violence and persecution that drives millions of people from their homes.

 

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Further information:

• Francis receives the volunteers of the FOCSIV (VIS)