Pope urges Peruvians to build a society based on respect, inclusion, solidarity
Vatican News
“Let us value women! Let us protect and respect girls!” Pope Leo XIV appealed to Peruvians on Thursday, urging them to build a society rooted in solidarity, respect and the common good, as he addressed the challenges facing families, women, workers and culturally diverse communities on the first full day of his Apostolic Journey to Peru.
Addressing Peruvians on the first full day of his Apostolic Journey to their country, Pope Leo XIV called on them to build a society where everyone can live with dignity and contribute to the common good.
The Pope was speaking during a meeting focusing on “Challenges and Hopes of the Peruvian People” in Lima, in the square of the Basilica Cathedral of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist. The event, which included a musical interlude, saw him respond to questions raised by four testimonies highlighting some of the country's most pressing concerns: the difficulties facing families, the richness and challenges of cultural diversity, violence and discrimination against women, and the insecurity confronting entrepreneurs and workers.
At the beginning of his address, Pope Leo welcomed those gathered, describing himself as a brother and companion on their journey. “During these days, I wish to walk among you as John the Baptist did, bearing witness to the Light that enlightens everyone: Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” he said.
The family: a first place of welcome
The first testimony highlighted the pressures facing families, including economic hardship, excessive workloads, lack of time together, digital technology, and changing traditional roles.
The Pope stressed that these challenges are interconnected and must be addressed with the human person at the centre of social, economic and political life. “At the center of every social, economic and political organization must be the human person, created in the image and likeness of God, endowed with infinite dignity and called to live in relationship with others,” he said.
He described the family as the first natural society, with rights of its own, which public institutions must recognise and protect rather than replace.
Leo XIV thanked the many mothers, aunts and grandmothers who, often facing difficulties alone, transmit faith and hope to future generations. He said he wished to offer “special thanks to these women — mothers, aunts and grandmothers — who pass on faith and sure hope to future generations with great courage through the example of their lives.”
He also acknowledged families wounded by economic problems, emigration, addictions, abuse and domestic violence, urging them not to give in to hardship. “God loves all families, especially those going through crises. To them I want to say: do not give in to difficulties,” he said, recalling the Holy Family's own experience of uncertainty, displacement and hardship.
He also warned that digital technology risks replacing genuine human interaction and exposing family members to distractions and harmful content, calling for cooperation between political leaders, educational institutions and families.
Cultural diversity as a path to reconciliation
A second testimony addressed Peru's wealth of cultures, languages and traditions, while highlighting persistent prejudice and dehumanising language.
The Pope described the country's cultural, linguistic, historical and regional plurality as a great richness. Differences, he said, should foster encounter and mutual enrichment. “It is precisely because we are different that we create ‘common-unity’ — community,” he explained.
He warned against words and behaviour that offend or judge people because of their appearance, origins or social condition, even when disguised as jokes or popular expressions. “Along with disarming our language by giving up hurtful words, we must also disarm our attitudes,” he said.
Referring to Jesus' words, “Learn from me; for I am meek and humble in heart”, Leo XIV explained that meekness is not weakness but an inner strength that moderates anger and resentment, transforming them into patience, dialogue and reconciliation.
He recalled Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, who spread the Gospel among peoples speaking different languages and faced the challenge of fostering peaceful coexistence and communion.
Cultural diversity, he said, can become an instrument of peacemaking when people recognise those who are different as brothers and sisters deserving of respect.
Protecting and valuing women
The third testimony highlighted the contrast between women's fundamental contribution to Peruvian society and the persistence of mistreatment and violence against them.
Leo XIV said women's presence, respect, and participation must be promoted in every sphere of society and the Church.
He deplored the persistence of machismo, manifested in fathers' absence from family life, abuse and violence against women. Such attitudes disregard the Christian understanding that men and women possess equal dignity and responsibility.
He also drew attention to women living in poverty and those belonging to Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian communities, who may suffer double marginalisation.
Renewing his appeal to Catholics and all people of goodwill, he issued a direct plea: “Let us value women! Let us protect and respect girls!”
He pointed to the Virgin Mary as the model of a free and strong woman, committed to authentic discipleship and the mission of the Church.
Work, entrepreneurship and the common good
The fourth testimony described the determination of Peruvians who, faced with a lack of formal employment, have created their own businesses to support their families and contribute to society.
It also highlighted the fear caused by extortion, robbery and even murder at the hands of criminal gangs operating with impunity.
In response, the Pope called on businesses to become protagonists in building the common good. “A business is a society of persons in which capital, management and labor must be ordered toward integral human development,” he said.
He stressed the responsibility of public authorities to establish a just legal framework and ensure a reasonable balance between work, rest and family life.
Society's wealth and resources, he added, must not benefit only a few, but contribute to the development of all.
Education is also essential, he said, while public policies must support families, guarantee the human and intellectual formation of students, and protect the dignity of work alongside private initiative.
A society founded on the common good
Bringing together the four themes, Leo XIV said that families, businesses, cultural diversity and the participation of women all have a role in building a society committed to the common good. Just structures, he stressed, must be accompanied by a willingness to overcome corruption, violence and individualism.
He urged Peruvians to make their homes “schools of fraternity”, their businesses “communities of dignified work and social responsibility”, and their cultural differences opportunities for encounter, so that all may contribute to a more just society founded on peace.
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