In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you! Good morning everyone, and welcome! This is something of a family meeting. Dear brothers and sisters, I am happy to meet you and to accompany, in this way too, the first steps of the Augustinian Order’s initiative to promote an International Study Center bearing my name. I am particularly grateful for this, given the importance of reflection and critical thinking in building a civilization of love, to which the social doctrine of the Church has much to offer. From the very beginning, I have appreciated the Center’s wish to engage in wide-ranging dialogue with universities, academic institutions, public bodies, organizations of civil society, ecclesial bodies and networks of associations, fostering relationships of collaboration and exchange at national and international levels. A sign of this commitment is the collaboration with the Theological Faculty of Central Italy and with the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum, as also mentioned in the decree establishing the Center. The key lies in walking together, always, without closing the door to encounter even with those who are different and seem to think, speak or act differently. The choice of Florence as the home of this new initiative is highly evocative: it is, in fact, an invitation to draw inspiration from the values of Humanism, a vision open to the Creator and, for that very reason, one that builds fraternal relationships. It is not wars, but the weaving of peace and just balances that produces civilization, with the active participation of all the social and cultural components of an open society. The “Church’s social doctrine also emerged from this matrix. Its analysis of Christian revelation in the context of modern social, labour, economic and cultural issues would not have been possible without the contribution of the laity, men and women alike, who grappled with the great issues of their time. At their side were those men and women religious who embodied a Church forging ahead in new directions. The epochal change we are now undergoing makes even more necessary a constant interaction between the faithful and the Church’s Magisterium, between ordinary citizens and experts, between individuals and institutions” (Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te, 82). May your Study Center promote this exercise, which requires pioneers and facilitators, especially when forms of mistrust and resignation threaten to prevail. At the cost of swimming against the tide, your mission of hope consists of promoting, in Italy and throughout the world, formation for public and political life conceived as a service to the common good, responsibility towards the community and the building of relationships based on solidarity, justice and peace. In other words, the opposite of resignation! On the other hand, as Pope Francis emphasized when speaking right here in Florence, “authentic humanism does not exist unless it contemplates love as a bond between human beings, be it of an interpersonal, intimate, social, political or intellectual nature” (Address at the Fifth National Convention of the Italian Church, 10 November 2015). Augustinian reflection, which underpins your initiative, has much to offer in this regard within today’s international context, for an understanding of love as the principle of renewal in personal, economic and political life. Love binds in order to liberate, unites in order to generate, and commits in order to build. Dear friends, “we view history in the light of the crucified and risen Lord … We do not consider the present as a predetermined fate, but an opportunity for personal and collective conversion. Moreover, we believe in the power of the Kingdom, which grows from the tiny size of a mustard seed … In the words of the prophet Isaiah: ‘Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?’ (Is 43:19)” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas). Yes, be experts in God’s newness: not that which dazzles with speed and efficiency, but that which He works silently, freeing the old world from its dead ends and opening up paths along which we may journey together, towards His city. May the Lord renew your commitment with abundant fruits, and may the Apostolic Blessing, which I wholeheartedly impart to you all, accompany you. Thank you.