To the International Committee of the Red Cross

On Tuesday, 15 June 1982, the Holy Father addressed the International Committee of the Red Cross,* whom he reminded that Christians also “find in their faith a stimulus and additional motivations to see in the wounded, dejected or destitute man, a neighbor to love and help, whatever his dignity; indeed, they find there the very image of Christ who identified himself with the prisoner, with the sick person, with the stranger, with the man deprived of everything.” 

Mr President,
Ladies, Gentlemen.

1. I thank you warmly for the words you have just pronounced regarding the action of the Holy See and my efforts. I was very attentive to everything you said about my native country, about El Salvador, about the Middle East, about Lebanon, about peace in general, since these are situations that are deeply dear to the hearts of the Catholics that I represent and who are always very present in the my prayer.

2. It gives me great joy to greet, in the very headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the qualified representatives of an Organization to which humanity is greatly indebted! In fact, since its foundation by Henri Dunant more than a century ago, this institution, which germinated in the hearts of some generous Swiss citizens, has found an echo throughout the world that should be welcomed.

And through you, it pleases the Pope to pay, in turn, a warm homage to all the men and women of good will who, within the Red Cross, have had no other ambition than to serve, out of humanity, their brothers and sisters who suffered due to the inhumanity of other men, absurd conflicts or natural disasters.

On the other hand, who would not subscribe to the fundamental principles of the Red Cross, adopted on the occasion of its twentieth Conference, and in particular the commitment to "protect life" and to "enforce respect for the human person" without any discrimination, to favor «mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace among all peoples»?

3. Undoubtedly the very spirit that animated the founder of the Red Cross and his first collaborators prohibits me from underlining too long the benefits that are due to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and my thoughts evidently also go to the admirable work of the National Societies of the Red Cross, as well as their international federation or league. The Red Cross has brought this help, in the midst of many wars and many calamities, to the civilian and military victims of armed conflicts, to the wounded or sick in all the camps, as well as to refugees, prisoners, missing families and in recent days especially to Lebanon. This spirit is that of self-sacrifice, which knows how to find its reward in the awareness of the service rendered, in the dedication that sometimes does not hesitate in the face of the supreme sacrifice, and manifests itself very often in the execution of obscure but very necessary tasks!

By carrying out its missions of rescue, care and comfort, giving the necessary impulse and supporting local initiatives, remaining faithful to the purpose of neutrality that characterized the original intuition of the founders, proposing with respect but with tenacity its intervention in the heart same as conflicts, the Red Cross has acquired moral authority throughout the world. So the effectiveness of your action is not limited to the multiplicity of services rendered to alleviate all the physical and moral suffering encountered, but the understanding that the belligerents and public authorities must normally bear witness to your mission - in compliance with the conventions - entails for you moral duties that further deepen the field in which your responsibility is exercised towards States and international organizations. Yes, you contribute to the development of international humanitarian law, the scope of which you continually seek to broaden.

4. In this regard, in the context of human rights, I take the liberty of insisting again on torture and other inhuman treatments. The Governments adhering to the four Geneva Conventions have also undertaken to prohibit such treatments and to authorize Red Cross delegates to visit internees and converse with detainees without witnesses. I hope that, also on this point, your missions will be accepted in all countries, to ward off this bleeding plague of humanity. In this way, with your specific means, you contribute to establishing respect for the fundamental rights of man and his dignity, bringing together without distinction all those who, believers or non-believers, are passionate about this ideal.

5. In this service of man, Christians easily achieve the aims and practice of the Red Cross. They find in their faith a stimulus and additional motivations to see in the wounded, dejected or destitute man, a neighbor to love and help, whatever his dignity; indeed, they find there the very image of Christ who identified himself with the prisoner, with the sick person, with the stranger, with the man deprived of everything. How many pages of the Gospel take on impressive importance in this case, starting with the parable of the Good Samaritan! And as regards torture, the Christian is confronted from his childhood with the narrative of the passion of Christ. The memory of Jesus, stripped naked, hit, mocked even in the suffering of agony, should always make him refuse to see similar treatment applied to one of his brothers in humanity. Spontaneously, the disciple of Christ rejects any recourse to similar means, which nothing could justify and in which the dignity of man is degraded both in the one who is struck and in his executioner.

6. The Catholic Church, for its part, willingly meets with your organizations. During the last two world wars, for example, concerted work was carried out between the initiatives of the Red Cross and those of Catholic charitable organizations. This collaboration has continued, to assist populations starving from war or victims of natural disasters, between the various works supported by the Church and the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Cross Societies. Important relationships have already been established in the field, and I am pleased that the Holy See and the International Committee of the Red Cross are studying broader forms of collaboration in activities in favor of peace.

7. Finally, to achieve the objectives it has set itself, the Red Cross must be guaranteed compliance with the international conventions and additional protocols by the various states and the authorities responsible for applying the wise measures. With you, I make a pressing appeal that the humanitarian laws contained in these Conventions be sincerely and scrupulously observed and also that they be complemented, if necessary, by international instruments against inhuman treatment and torture in particular. They could provide serious guarantees for the physical and psychological protection of victims and for the respect due to them. Every man everywhere should be able to count on such guarantees. And it is the duty of every State, which is concerned about the good of its citizens, to subscribe to it without reservations and to be keen to implement them.

8. Happy to have been able to express to you my esteem and my encouragement to continue the work undertaken, I pray to God, the God "rich in mercy", to bless all those who, in the services of the Red Cross, in the same way as Christian charity, know demonstrate to people who find themselves in despair, and know how to inspire towards them, a respect and dedication that humanises our tormented and torn world. And I pray that he inspire such feelings in an ever-increasing number of our contemporaries. May humanity listen even more to the appeal that profoundly shook Henri Dunant: "We are all brothers"!

* Teachings V, 2 p.2308-2310

© Copyright 1982 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Copyright © Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana