Pope Urges Leaders to Be on Side of the Weak

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 7, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appealed to world leaders to be on the side of the poor, following the example of God.

The Pope's exhortation resounded in St. Peter's Square during today's general audience, which drew some 20,000 people.

Commenting on Psalm 137(138), a hymn of thanksgiving, the Holy Father stressed that "God chooses to be on the side of the weak, of victims, of the last."

And this is how the Bible explains it, so that leaders "will know what their options should be in the governance of nations," the Pontiff added.

"Of course, he does not just say it to kings and to all governments, but to all of us, as we also must know which option we must choose: to be on the side of the humble, the last, the poor and the weak," Benedict XVI said.

Recalling the biblical poetic passage, the Holy Father said that God "but cares for the lowly with affection, while he averts his gaze from the haughty in sign of rejection and judgment."

In fact, the basis of "all confidence and all hope" is in the "faithfulness" and "mercy" of God, continued the Bishop of Rome.

Confidence

The believer knows that "the Lord will never abandon him and will stretch out his hand to support and guide him," he said.

The Pope concluded his intervention with an "impassioned profession of confidence in the God of everlasting goodness: He will not forsake the work of his hands, namely, his creature. And in this confidence, in this certitude of confidence in God, we too must live."

With this meditation, Benedict XVI continued with the series of commentaries on the psalms and canticles of the Bible, which may be consulted at www.zenit.org/english/audience.