NICOSIA, Cyprus, JUNE 5, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Public service is a “noble vocation,” and when it is carried out faithfully, it is a means to grow in wisdom, integrity and personal fulfillment, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this today in a reflection on the role of politicians in society and their role in promoting moral truth in society, which he addressed to government officials and the diplomatic corps of Cyprus at the presidential gardens in Nicosia. The Holy Father is in Cyprus until Sunday.
“You as public servants know the importance of truth, integrity and respect in your relationships with others,” the Pontiff affirmed. “Personal relationships are often the first steps toward building trust and — in due course — solid bonds of friendship between individuals, peoples and nations.
“This is an essential part of your role, both as politicians and diplomats. In countries with delicate political situations, such honest and open personal relationships can be the beginning of a much greater good for entire societies and peoples.
“Let me encourage all of you, present here today, to seize the opportunities afforded you, both personally and institutionally, to build these relationships and, in so doing, to foster the greater good of the concert of nations and the true good of those whom you represent.”
Benedict XVI noted the importance of “moral rectitude and impartial respect for others and their well-being” in building a society as they are key elements to establishing “a climate of trust in which all human interactions, whether religious, or economic, social and cultural, or civil and political, acquire strength and substance.”
He then offered three ways to promote moral truth, “acting responsibly on the basis of factual knowledge”; “deconstructing political ideologies which would supplant the truth”; “base positive law upon the ethical principles of natural law.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-29484?l=english
