In front of numerous faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the Holy Father spoke about the Virtue of Justice.
Photo: Vatican Media.
Vatican City (04/03/2024 16:43, Gaudium Press) During the General Audience on Wednesday, April 3, Pope Francis continued the cycle of catecheses on vices and virtues, addressing the second cardinal virtue: justice, “It is the virtue of law, that seeks to regulate the relations between people equitably.”
According to the Holy Father, this virtue is represented by the scales “it aims to ‘even the score’ between people, especially when they risk being distorted by some imbalance. Its purpose is that in society, everyone is treated in accordance with the dignity proper to them.”
Without justice, there is no peace
“We all understand how justice is fundamental for peaceful coexistence in society: a world without laws respecting rights would be a world in which it is impossible to live; it would resemble a jungle. Without justice, there is no peace. Without justice, there is no peace. Indeed, if justice is not respected, conflicts arise. Without justice, the law of the prevalence of the strong over the weak is entrenched, and this is not just,” he emphasized.
Francis recalled that the virtue of justice “it regards not only the courtroom, but also the ethics that characterize our daily lives. It establishes sincere relations with others: it realizes the precept of the Gospel, according to which Christian speech is “simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Mt 5:37).”
We need to be just men and women
The Pope also stressed that “the virtue of justice makes it clear – and places this need in the heart – that there can be no true good for oneself if there is not also the good of all. (…) Half-truths, double-talk intended to deceive one’s neighbour, the reticence that conceals true intentions, are not attitudes in keeping with justice. The righteous person is upright, simple and straightforward; he does not wear masks, he presents himself for what he is, he speaks the truth. The righteous person keeps watch over his own behaviour, so that it is not harmful to others: if he makes a mistake, he apologizes. In some situations, he goes so far as to sacrifice a personal good to make it available to the community.”
“The righteous are not moralists who don the robe of the censor, but upright people who ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness’ (Mt 5:6), dreamers who yearn in their hearts for universal brotherhood. And, today especially, we are all in great need of this dream. We need righteous men and women, and this will make us happy,” he concluded,
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
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