Dear friends,

I am pleased to welcome you this morning to Rome and here to the Vatican, and I hope that you will have time, or have had time, to visit the various holy sites associated with the early Christians and martyrs, whose witness to the faith in our Lord remains an enduring source of inspiration, encouraging us likewise to give our lives for the glory of God and for the good of our brothers and sisters.

There is no doubt that we face difficult challenges in our own time, as the world passes through a particularly turbulent period. There seems to be an increasing animosity among peoples, evident not only in international conflicts and disputes, as you mentioned, but also within individual countries, as demonstrated by the bitterness that frequently characterizes political and social discourse.

Given our fallen human condition, it is all too easy to adopt an attitude of hostility toward those with whom we disagree. For this reason, a concerted effort is required to seek concrete paths of reconciliation and of fraternity. In this regard, Jesus shows us another way, revealing that goodness and charity have the power to disarm. I am therefore sincerely grateful for your presence here and for your shared desire to seek ways of building communion. Indeed, even small gestures can inspire and guide us along the path of reconciliation.

As we well know, our Lord prayed to the heavenly Father for the unity of his disciples: “that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (Jn 17:23). Grounded in our common Baptism and our shared mission in the world, I pray that we may always grow together in our service to the promotion of peace and justice.

As we continue along this path, we can look to the example of the early martyrs and of saints, such as Saint Olaf and Saint Sunniva, whose lives, dedicated to God and neighbor, helped to unite peoples and bear enduring witness to the transforming power of charity.

So my dear friends, my dear brothers and sisters, I thank you once again for your coming this morning and for your closeness. Let us ask for God’s blessing, so that, in God’s infinite goodness and wisdom, he may help us to live ever more truly as brothers and sisters, and thus bear common witness to our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you.