MEETING WITH THE STAFF
OF THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION
ADDRESS OF
HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
New
York
Friday, 18 April 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Here, within a small space in
the busy city of New York, is housed an Organization with a worldwide mission
to promote peace and justice. I am reminded of the similar contrast in scale
between Vatican City State and the world in which the Church exercises her
universal mission and apostolate. The sixteenth-century artists who painted the
maps on the walls of the Apostolic Palace reminded the Popes of the vast extent
of the known world. In those frescoes, the Successors of Peter were offered a
tangible sign of the immense outreach of the Church’s mission at a time when
the discovery of the New World was opening up unforeseen horizons. Here in this
glass palace, the art on display has its own way of reminding us of the
responsibilities of the United Nations Organization. We see images of the
effects of war and poverty, we are reminded of our duty to strive for a better
world, and we rejoice in the sheer diversity and exuberance of human culture,
manifested in the wide range of peoples and nations gathered together under the
umbrella of the international community.
On the occasion of my visit, I
wish to pay tribute to the invaluable contribution made by the administrative
staff and the many employees of the United Nations, who carry out their duties
with such great dedication and professionalism every day – here in New York, in
other UN centres, and at special missions all over the world. To you, and to
those who have gone before you, I would like to express my personal
appreciation and that of the whole Catholic Church. We remember
especially the many civilians and peace-keepers who have sacrificed their lives
in the field for the good of the peoples they serve – in 2007 alone there were
forty-two of them. We also remember the vast multitude who dedicate their lives
to work that is never sufficiently acknowledged, often in difficult
circumstances. To all of you – translators, secretaries, administrative personnel
of every kind, maintenance and security staff, development workers,
peace-keepers and many others – thank you, most sincerely. The work that you do
makes it possible for the Organization to continue exploring new ways of
achieving the goals for which it was founded.
The United Nations is often
spoken of as the “family of nations”. By the same token, the headquarters here
in New York could be described as a home, a place of welcome and concern for
the good of family members everywhere. It is an excellent place in which to
promote growth in understanding and collaboration between peoples. Rightly, the
staff of the United Nations are selected from a wide range of cultures and
nationalities. The personnel here constitute a microcosm of the whole world, in
which each individual makes an indispensable contribution from the perspective
of his or her particular cultural and religious heritage. The ideals that
inspired the founders of this institution need to take shape here and in every
one of the Organization’s missions around the world in the mutual respect and
acceptance that are the hallmarks of a thriving family.
In the internal debates of the
United Nations, increasing emphasis is being placed on the “responsibility to
protect”. Indeed this is coming to be recognized as the moral basis for a
government’s claim to authority. It is also a feature that naturally appertains
to a family, in which stronger members take care of weaker ones. This
Organization performs an important service, in the name of the international
community, by monitoring the extent to which governments fulfil their
responsibility to protect their citizens. On a day-to-day level, it is you who
lay the foundations on which that work is built, by the concern you show for
one another in the workplace, and by your solicitude for the many peoples whose
needs and aspirations you serve in all that you do.
The Catholic Church, through
the international activity of the Holy See, and through countless initiatives
of lay Catholics, local Churches and religious communities, assures you of her
support for your work. I assure you and your families of a special remembrance
in my prayers. May Almighty God bless you always and comfort you with his grace
and his peace, so that through the care you offer to the entire human family,
you can continue to be of service to him.
Thank you.
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