At a conference center in the complex of the Great Mosque of Algiers (which has the world's tallest minaret), Pope Leo spoke of the challenge of promoting human dignity in a world of inequality. Giving his address in English, with simultaneous Arabic translation, the Holy Father said the future belongs to those "who do not allow themselves to be blinded by power or wealth, and those who refuse to sacrifice the dignity of their fellow citizens for the sake of personal or collective gain."
Speaking of the "common and natural" practice of almsgiving among Algerians, using the word sadaka, he noted how the word can also mean justice, "in the sense that we do not keep things for ourselves, but share what we have as a matter of justice."
The one who accumulates wealth and remains indifferent to others is unjust. This view of justice is both simple and radical for it recognizes the image of God in others. Indeed, a religion without mercy and a society without solidarity are a scandal in God’s eyes. Yet many societies that consider themselves advanced are plunging ever deeper into inequality and exclusion. Africa knows all too well that people and organizations that dominate others destroy the world, which the Most High has created in order that we might all live together.
Reflecting on how Algeria is nestled between the Mediterranean and the Sahara, he said these two natural realities "represent geographical and spiritual crossroads of immense significance."
The tall minaret offers panoramic views of the sea, as Algiers is on the coast. Most of Algeria is within the Sahara desert.
"If we delve into their history (of the Sahara and the Mediterranean), free from simplifications or ideologies, we discover immense treasures of humanity hidden there," he said. "For the sea and the desert have been places of mutual enrichment among peoples and cultures for millennia."
Woe to us if we turn them into graveyards where hope also dies! Let us free these tremendous reservoirs of history and of the future from evil! Let us multiply oases of peace; let us denounce and remove the causes of despair; and let us oppose those who profit from the misfortune of others! For illicit are the gains of those who exploit human life, whose dignity is inviolable. Let us, then, unite our strength, spiritual energy, intelligence and resources, so that the land and the sea may become places of life, encounter, and wonder. May their majestic beauty touch our hearts; may their boundless expanse prompt us to reflect on transcendence.
The Pope said that the sea and the desert, and the "vast sky" above them "whisper to us that reality surpasses us on all sides, that God is truly great, and that everything lives in his mysterious presence. This insight has enormous consequences for our understanding of reality, yet many today underestimate its significance."
He said that Algeria is familiar with the tension between "religious sensibility and modern life," where, like in other places of the world, "opposed dynamics of fundamentalism and secularization tend to manifest themselves, causing many to lose an authentic sense of God and of the dignity of all his creatures."
In this context, religious symbols and words can become either "blasphemous languages of violence and oppression," or "empty signs in the immense marketplace of consumption that does not satisfy us."
These absurd polarizations, however, must not dishearten us. They must be confronted with intelligence. They are a sign that we are living in an extraordinary time of great renewal, in which those who keep their hearts free, and their consciences alert, can draw from the great spiritual and religious traditions new ways of seeing the world and an unshakable purpose in life. We must educate people in critical thinking and freedom, in listening and dialogue, and in the trust that leads us to recognize in those who are different fellow travelers and not threats. We must work together toward the healing of memory and reconciliation among former adversaries. This is the gift I desire for you, for Algeria, and for all of its people, upon whom I invoke the abundant blessings of the Most High.
