Pope Francis greets volunteers from the Italian Red Cross during a meeting at the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican April 6, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
By Justin McLellan
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — People of faith are called to defend human life and dignity regardless of religious, economic, political or social differences, Pope Francis said.
“For the believer each person is sacred,” he told volunteers from the Italian Red Cross April 6. “Every human creation is loved by God and, because of this, the bearer of inalienable human rights.”
The pope addressed some 6,000 volunteers wearing red unforms for the 160th anniversary of the Italian Red Cross, which he said has performed acts of charity for people regardless of “nationality, social class, religion or political opinion” since its founding in 1864. He urged them to always uphold the “supreme value of life” and to defend society’s most vulnerable, noting children in particular.
Pope Francis specifically highlighted the plight of Ukrainian children who sought refuge in Italy due to war, lamenting, “These children do not smile; they have forgotten the ability to smile,” he said. “This is terrible for a child. Let us think about this.”
The pope condemned today’s “self-centered” society, more focused on the “I” than the “us,” and asked the volunteers not to turn away or discard a person because of their physical condition, abilities, place of origin or social status.
Every person “has their own dignity and deserves our attention,” he said. “I exhort you to continue to be close to brothers and sisters in need, with competence, generosity and expertise, especially at a time when racism and contempt are growing like weeds.”
Pope Francis also stressed the need for global “norms that guarantee human rights everywhere, practices that nurture the culture of encounter and people capable of looking at the world with a broad perspective.”
The pope thanked the Red Cross volunteers for their support for migrants and for their love of neighbor, an attitude that has no “geographic, cultural, social, economic or religious” borders.
“Your commitment, inspired by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, volunteerism, unity and universality, is also a visible sign that fraternity is possible,” he told the volunteers.
After his speech, a band of volunteers played music for the pope who smiled as he put on a Red Cross cap for a photo-op.
