Pope Francis: defeating the darkness of drug dependency
(Vatican Radio) From the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida to the “shrine of human suffering”
that is the St Francis of Assisi hospital, located in the run-down Tijuca district
of northern Rio de Janeiro. That was how Pope Francis himself described his visit
on Wednesday afternoon to the hospital, run by young Franciscan friars and sisters
who care for the poorest and most marginalized slum dwellers. During the visit, the
Pope blessed a new wing of the hospital dedicated to the rehabilitation of drug users,
saying he embraced every single person struggling with drug addiction.
Listen
to Philippa Hitchen’s report:
It's
not easy to talk about years of drug abuse, desperation and life on the streets, especially
if you're talking to the Pope in person. But that's exactly what two former addicts
did, receiving in return an emotional embrace from the Holy Father. In his address
to patients and staff, the Pope said a reduction in drug addiction will not be achieved
by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of
Latin America. Rather, he said, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying
the drug use, promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that
build up life, accompanying them in their difficulties and giving them hope for the
future. Pope Francis condemned the selfishness of what he called ‘dealers of death’,
urging society as a whole to act with courage to stamp out the scourge of drug trafficking.
Speaking directly to those who have fallen into ‘the darkness of dependency’,
the Pope said the Church offers outstretched hands to help you on the long and difficult
journey, but he stressed ‘no one is able to stand up in your place’. ‘Look ahead,’
he urged and ‘do not let yourself be robbed of hope!’ Speaking to the hospital
staff, the Pope said we all have to learn to embrace those in need, just as his namesake
St Francis reached out to embrace the leper. He thanked all the medical professionals
for their love and concern, reaching out to people in difficulty because in them we
see the face of the suffering Christ.
Please find below the full text of
Pope Francis' address to staff and patients at the St Francis of Assisi hospital in
Rio de Janeiro
Dear Archbishop Tempesta, brother Bishops, Distinguished
Authorities, Members of the Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis of Penance, Doctors,
Nurses, and Health Care Workers, Dear Young People and Family Members,
God
has willed that my journey, after the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, should take
me to a particular shrine of human suffering – the Saint Francis of Assisi Hospital.
The conversion of your patron saint is well known: the young Francis abandoned the
riches and comfort of the world in order to become a poor man among the poor. He
understood that true joy and riches do not come from the idols of this world – material
things and the possession of them – but are to be found only in following Christ and
serving others. Less well known, perhaps, is the moment when this understanding took
concrete form in his own life. It was when Francis embraced a leper. This brother,
suffering and an outcast, was the “mediator of light ... for Saint Francis of Assisi”
(Lumen Fidei, 57), because in every suffering brother and sister that we embrace,
we embrace the suffering Body of Christ. Today, in this place where people struggle
with drug addiction, I wish to embrace each and every one of you, who are the flesh
of Christ, and to ask God to renew your journey, and also mine, with purpose and steadfast
hope.
To embrace – we all have to learn to embrace the one in need,
as Saint Francis did. There are so many situations in Brazil, and throughout the
world, that require attention, care and love, like the fight against chemical dependency.
Often, instead, it is selfishness that prevails in our society. How many “dealers
of death” there are that follow the logic of power and money at any cost! The scourge
of drug-trafficking, that favours violence and sows the seeds of suffering and death,
requires of society as a whole an act of courage. A reduction in the spread and influence
of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently
being proposed in various parts of Latin America. Rather, it is necessary to confront
the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating
young people in the values that build up life in society, accompanying those in difficulty
and giving them hope for the future. We all need to look upon one another with the
loving eyes of Christ, and to learn to embrace those in need, in order to show our
closeness, affection and love.
To embrace someone is not enough, however.
We must hold the hand of the one in need, of the one who has fallen into the darkness
of dependency perhaps without even knowing how, and we must say to him or her: You
can get up, you can stand up. It is difficult, but it is possible if you want to.
Dear friends, I wish to say to each of you, but especially to all those others who
have not had the courage to embark on our journey: You have to want to stand up; this
is the indispensible condition! You will find an outstretched hand ready to help
you, but no one is able to stand up in your place. But you are never alone! The
Church and so many people are close to you. Look ahead with confidence. Yours is
a long and difficult journey, but look ahead, there is “a sure future, set against
a different horizon with regard to the illusory enticements of the idols of this world,
yet granting new momentum and strength to our daily lives” (Lumen Fidei, 57). To
all of you, I repeat: Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! And not only that,
but I say to us all: let us not rob others of hope, let us become bearers of hope!
In
the Gospel, we read the parable of the Good Samaritan, that speaks of a man assaulted
by robbers and left half dead at the side of the road. People pass by him and look
at him. But they do not stop, they just continue on their journey, indifferent to
him: it is none of their business! Only a Samaritan, a stranger, sees him, stops,
lifts him up, takes him by the hand, and cares for him (cf. Lk 10:29-35). Dear friends,
I believe that here, in this hospital, the parable of the Good Samaritan is made tangible.
Here there is no indifference, but concern. There is no apathy, but love. The Saint
Francis Association and the Network for the Treatment of Drug Addiction show how to
reach out to those in difficulty because in them we see the face of Christ, because
in these persons, the flesh of Christ suffers. Thanks are due to all the medical
professionals and their associates who work here. Your service is precious; undertake
it always with love. It is a service given to Christ present in our brothers and
sisters. As Jesus says to us: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren,
you did it to me” (Mt 25:40).
And I wish to repeat to all of
you who struggle against drug addiction, and to those family members who share in
your difficulties: the Church is not distant from your troubles, but accompanies you
with affection. The Lord is near you and he takes you by the hand. Look to him in
your most difficult moments and he will give you consolation and hope. And trust
in the maternal love of his Mother Mary. This morning, in the Shrine of Aparecida,
I entrusted each of you to her heart. Where there is a cross to carry, she, our Mother,
is always there with us. I leave you in her hands, while with great affection I bless
all of you.