“BUILDING NETWORKS WIT ART, ECONOM
Your Eminence, Dear friends,
It is a pleasure to be with you in this place that hosts not only sporting, artistic and cultural events, but also the deepest emotions of human life: joy and hope, as well as sadness and disappointment.
In this beautiful country, one cannot fail to admire the creative spirit that has shaped its history and identity. Its cities, monuments, universities, churches, music, art and traditions testify to the intelligence and determination of generations who transformed the landscape and left a lasting legacy. This naturally leads us to ask: What legacy are we leaving for the future, and what kind of community are we building?
Having listened carefully to the panelists, I agree that our society possesses an extraordinary capacity to produce, innovate and communicate. Yet we still need to learn how to safeguard the soul of what we create. Otherwise, we risk becoming highly efficient producers while losing sight of why, for whom and to what end we produce. It is here that the Church seeks to remain in dialogue with the contemporary world.
The desire for goodness, beauty and truth is deeply rooted in every human person. Drawing on centuries of experience, the Church proposes paths that promote human dignity and the common good. The fundamental question remains: what does it mean to be truly human?
With humility and conviction, the Church shares what it has discovered through faith: that Jesus Christ illuminates the deepest questions of human existence. Because the human person is at the centre of authentic development, the Church cannot be indifferent to culture, through which people become more fully human.
This calls us to reflect on what we are cultivating today. What values are flourishing, and what is quietly fading? Such questions require genuine social dialogue based on listening, respect and cooperation.
Building networks means fostering dialogue among institutions with human dignity at their centre: universities committed to truth, businesses that respect workers, art accessible to all, sports that form character rather than merely entertain, and technology that serves even the most vulnerable.
From a Christian perspective, this dialogue begins with the conviction that every person is created in the image of God and therefore possesses an inviolable dignity. It also means creating together. Faith inspires beauty, creativity and joy. Throughout history, this has found expression in literature, poetry, music and art that reveal the profound connection between the material and the spiritual dimensions of life.
Building networks also means serving selflessly. Inspired by faith, countless men and women have established schools, hospitals and works of charity. Their witness reminds us that society flourishes when economic and social structures serve the integral development of every person and encourage the participation of all, especially the poor and excluded.
Allow me finally to mention a world close to my heart: sport. On the playing field many of us learned respect, perseverance and teamwork more effectively than through any lecture. Athletes teach us how to lose without bitterness, win without arrogance and rise again after failure. As Saint John Paul II observed, sport can offer a powerful example of unity, peace and social harmony.
Dear friends, I invite you to become protagonists in building new networks that unite every sphere of life: a society where culture preserves memory and fosters dialogue, education seeks truth, art awakens wonder, business respects human dignity, and work remains a source of hope.
Let us heed Saint Paul's exhortation: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.” The future depends on our ability to live this vision together, so that humanity in all its grandeur may continue to shine.
Thank you very much, and best wishes to everyone.