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Pope Francis’ address to the Afghan Community Association in Italy
Wednesday, 7 August 2024
“One cannot, in the name of God, incite contempt for others, hatred and violence”.
Dear friends,
I am pleased to meet you who represent the Association of the Afghan Community in Italy.
In recent decades, Afghanistan has had a complicated and dramatic history, marked by a succession of wars and bloody conflicts that have made it very difficult for people to live in peace, freedom and security.
Instability, war with all its destruction and death, internal divisions and the obstacles to the enjoyment of certain fundamental rights have forced many to take the path of exile.
I have met with a number of families from Afghanistan who have come to live here to Rome.
It is also important to remember another important characteristic of Afghan, and Pakistani society. They are made up of many peoples, each proud of its culture, traditions and unique way of life.
This obvious diversity, instead of being an opportunity to promote a common ground for the protection of the characteristics and rights of each group, is sometimes used as a reason for discrimination and exclusion, if not outright persecution.
This seems to be a tragedy, indeed you have lived through a tragic period with so many wars.
All of this takes on an even greater significance in the border area with Pakistan, where the intertwining of ethnic groups and the extremely “porous” borders create a complex situation in which it is very difficult ensure the actual adoption and application of laws for all.
In such contexts, processes can be set in motion whereby those parties who are, or perceive themselves to be, stronger tend to go beyond the actual dictates of the law and take advantage of minorities, protecting themselves with an alleged right to use force rather than relying on the force of the law.
The religious factor, by its very nature, should help to soften the harshness of contrasts and create space for everyone to be granted full citizenship rights on an equal footing and without discrimination.
But often religion is manipulated and instrumentalized and ends up being used for contrary purposes.
In such cases, religion becomes a factor of confrontation and hatred, which can lead to acts of violence. And you have often seen this yourselves.
I too have seen these difficult moments reported by the news so much difficulty and pain!
It is therefore imperative that everyone accept the principle that the name of God cannot be invoked to incite contempt, hatred and violence against others.
Thus, I encourage you to continue in your noble endeavor to promote religious harmony and to strive to overcome misunderstandings between different religions in order to build paths of trusting dialogue and peace.
This is not an easy journey and sometimes it is fraught with setbacks; but if you truly wish to do good to the community and to promote peace, it is the only possible way and it must be pursued with courage and perseverance.
I remember when I was in the Central African Republic and visited the Catholic community.
I also visited the Islamic community and prayed in their mosque.
This included a meeting with the leaders, and the mosque was right in front of us, so I asked, “May I go and pray there?” They were not expecting it. They replied, “yes”, so I took off my shoes and went there to pray.
Then the head of the community joined me in the popemobile and we went to visit all the communities, Islamic, Protestant and Catholic.
This is what brings unity, it unites us so much.
In this regard, I would like to recall what the Grand Iman of Al-Azhar and I stated in the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed in Abu Dhabi on 4 February 2019, namely that
“Religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood.
These tragic realities are the result of a departure from religious teachings.
They are the result of a political manipulation of religions and of interpretations by religious groups that have exploited the power of religious sentiment in the hearts of men and women to make them act in ways that have nothing to do with the truth of religion”.
We therefore asked everyone to “stop using religions to incite hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism, and to refrain from using the name of God to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression”.
Moreover, we did so precisely because of our faith in God, who created men and women to live as brothers and sisters and who “does not want his name to be used to terrorize people”.
What has been said about the role of religion can also be applied by analogy to ethnic-linguistic-cultural differences, because in order to manage them well, it is equally necessary to adopt a “culture of dialogue as the way; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; mutual understanding as the method and the standard”.
Dear brothers, it is my fervent hope that these standards will become a common heritage and so influence people’s thinking and behavior, so that the principles are not only appreciated and shared in the abstract, but also applied concretely and effectively.
If this happens, the discrimination against the Pashtun ethnic group in Pakistan, which your association has not failed to highlight, will also come to an end.
Similarly, a new era can begin, in which the power of law, compassion – this word, “compassion”, is key! – and cooperation in mutual respect will lead to a more just and humane civilization.
I have seen, for example, in some African countries where there are two major religions – Islam and Catholicism – how, at Christmas time, Muslims go to greet Christians and bring lambs and other gifts.
Then, for the Feast of the Sacrifice, Christians bring Muslims things for the feast.
This is real fraternity, and it is beautiful. Strive for it.
May the almighty and merciful God help leaders and peoples to build a society in which all are granted full citizenship with equal rights; where everyone can live according to their own customs and culture, within a framework that respects the rights of all, without abuse of power or discrimination.
Dear friends, thank you for coming.
I wish you well in your work and I invoke God’s blessings upon you and your families.
And please pray for God’s blessing on me. Thank you very much.
