Spanish
Vatican City, June 21 (EFE).- Pope Leo XIV has urged the world's politicians to address the "unacceptable" disproportion between rich and poor as a service in favor of social peace, during an audience this Saturday for the Jubilee of rulers.
The pontiff reminded politicians that one of their "duties" is to "promote and protect, beyond any particular interest, the good of the community, especially in defense of the weakest and most marginalized."
"It is about striving to overcome the unacceptable disproportion between wealth in the hands of a few and extreme poverty. Those who live in extreme conditions cry out to make their voices heard but often do not find ears willing to listen," denounced Leo XIV.
In this sense, he pointed out that this inequality generates injustice, which can lead to violence and "sooner or later to the drama of war".
"A good political action, favoring an equal distribution of resources, can offer an effective service to harmony and peace both at a social level and internationally," he recommended.
Leo XIV received this morning in the Apostolic Palace the politicians participating this weekend in the Jubilee of Rulers and Administrators, within the framework of this Holy Year.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, was present at the meeting, as well as deputies, senators, mayors, regional governors or diplomats from 68 countries.
Before them, he pointed out as "a great challenge" the irruption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), noting that "it will be valid helping society to the extent that its use does not affect the identity and dignity" of people and their fundamental freedoms.
"Personal life is worth much more than an algorithm and social relationships need human spaces far superior to the limited screens that any soulless machine can make," he warned.
Finally, the Augustinian pontiff, evoking Cicero, recommended when legislating for the common good to have as a point of reference the concept of natural law, "not written by the hand of man but recognized as universally valid at all times".
"Natural law, universally valid above other more debatable convictions, constitutes a compass with which to orient oneself when legislating and acting, particularly on delicate ethical issues that today touch the sphere of personal intimacy," he advised. Leo XIV bid farewell to the rulers citing as an "example" Thomas More, jurist and chancellor of Henry VIII beheaded in 1535 for not complying with the new Anglican church. "The courage with which he did not hesitate to sacrifice his own life in order not to betray the truth makes him still today, for us, a martyr of freedom and the primacy of conscience. May his example be for each of you a source of inspiration," the pontiff concluded.
