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Making
the 'family of nations' a home and place of welcome for all
On Friday morning, 18 April [2008], after his
Address at U.N. Headquarters, the Holy Father met privately with the
Presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council respectively. He
then spoke to the staff and personnel. The following is his Address.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Here, within a small space in the busy city of New
York, is housed an Organization with a worldwide mission to promote
peace and justice. I am reminded of the similar contrast in scale
between Vatican City State and the world in which the Church exercises
her universal mission and apostolate. The sixteenth-century artists who
painted the maps on the walls of the Apostolic Palace reminded the Popes
of the vast extent of the known world. In those frescoes, the Successors
of Peter were offered a tangible sign of the immense outreach of the
Church's mission at a time when the discovery of the New World was
opening up unforeseen horizons. Here in this glass palace, the art on
display has its own way of reminding us of the responsibilities of the
United Nations Organization. We see images of the effects of war and
poverty, we are reminded of our duty to strive for a better world, and
we rejoice in the sheer diversity and exuberance of human culture,
manifested in the wide range of peoples and nations gathered together
under the umbrella of the international community.
On the occasion of my visit, I wish to pay tribute
to the invaluable contribution made by the administrative staff and the
many employees of the United Nations, who carry out their duties with
such great dedication and professionalism every day
— here in New York,
in other U.N. centres, and at special missions all over the world. To you,
and to those who have gone before you, I would like to express my
personal appreciation and that of the whole Catholic Church. We remember
especially the many civilians and peace-keepers who have sacrificed
their lives in the field for the good of the peoples they serve
— in
2007 alone there were forty-two of them. We also remember the vast
multitude who dedicate their lives to work that is never sufficiently
acknowledged, often in difficult circumstances. To all of you
—
translators, secretaries, administrative personnel of every kind,
maintenance and security staff, development workers, peace-keepers and
many others
— thank you, most sincerely. The work that you do makes it
possible for the Organization to continue exploring new ways of
achieving the goals for which it was founded.
The United Nations is often spoken of as the
"family of nations". By the same token, the headquarters here in New
York could be described as a home, a place of welcome and concern for
the good of family members everywhere. It is an excellent place in which
to promote growth in understanding and collaboration between peoples.
Rightly, the staff of the United Nations are selected from a wide range
of cultures and nationalities. The personnel here constitute a microcosm
of the whole world, in which each individual makes an indispensable
contribution from the perspective of his or her particular cultural and
religious heritage. The ideals that inspired the founders of this
institution need to take shape here and in every one of the
Organization's missions around the world in the mutual respect and
acceptance that are the hallmarks of a thriving family.
In the internal debates of the United Nations,
increasing emphasis is being placed on the "responsibility to protect".
Indeed this is coming to be recognized as the moral basis for a
government's claim to authority. It is also a feature that naturally
appertains to a family, in which stronger members take care of weaker
ones. This Organization performs an important service, in the name of
the international community, by monitoring the extent to which
governments fulfil their responsibility to protect their citizens. On a
day-to-day level, it is you who lay the foundations on which that work
is built, by the concern you show for one another in the workplace, and
by your solicitude for the many peoples whose needs and aspirations you
serve in all that you do.
The
Catholic Church, through the international activity of the Holy See, and
through countless initiatives of lay Catholics, local Churches and
religious communities, assures you of her support for your work. I
assure you and your families of a special remembrance in my prayers. May
Almighty God bless you always and comfort you with his grace and his
peace, so that through the care you offer to the entire human family,
you can continue to be of service to him.
Thank you.
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