Vatican City, Feb 10, 2019 / 20:15 pm America/Denver (CNA).
Pope Francis on Saturday called on Italian judges to better society through their work, emphasizing the virtue of justice in building a healthy public life.
“We live in a context afflicted by tensions and ruptures, which risk weakening the social fabric itself and weaken the civic awareness of many,” he said, warning that claims about rights are frequently disconnected from a sense of duties.
For this reason, justice – long understood as a cardinal virtue – is particularly important in public life, he said.
Justice, he said, “is a cardinal value as it indicates the right direction and, like a pivot, it is also a point of support and junction. Without justice, all social life is obstructed, like a door that can no longer open, or that ends up grinding and creaking in a confused movement.”
Meeting with representatives from the National Association of Judges of Italy upon their 110th anniversary, the pope said the group “fulfills an important task of monitoring democratic rules and promoting constitutional values, at the service of the common good.”
