Statement
Pope Francis Message to USWMPM
Pope Francis Message to the U.S. Regional Meeting of the World Meeting of Popular Movements, February 10, 2017
Pope Francis congratulates participants for bringing the World Meetings of Popular Movements to the national level, praises organizers and local Church leaders, and urges continued energy in struggles for Land, Work, and Housing.
He describes a global crisis rooted in a system that places money at the center, producing widespread dehumanization, exclusion, inequality, ecological harm, and political manipulation that scapegoats “non-neighbors.”
Moral and theological framing
Using the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Pope insists that true compassion requires active care: seeing the suffering, drawing near, and personally committing resources to heal wounds. The Church and social organizations are called to be the “innkeeper” who continues care.
Call to action for popular movements
He affirms the role of popular movements as decisive actors in this historic turning point, urging them not to be paralyzed by fear but to use crises as opportunities for transformative change through organizing, solidarity, and participation.
Two reiterated priorities
- Ecology: He affirms the scientific consensus on climate warming, rejects denial, and calls all people and leaders to defend Creation urgently.
- Rejection of collective blame: He condemns labeling whole peoples or religions as criminal or terrorist, warns that such generalizations fuel hate and violence, and urges confronting terror with love and justice.
Pope Francis exhorts participants to become Samaritans—practicing compassion that heals, builds bridges rather than walls, resists indifference, and works for social, ecological, and human dignity through sustained, organized solidarity.