Mr President, Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a joy for me to be with you today. I am particularly grateful, Mr President, for your gracious invitation to visit France, and I thank you for your words of welcome. Through you, I extend my greetings to all those who live in this country, with its immense cultural and religious patrimony. Together, they make up a people whose diverse origins have enlivened and enriched the nation and its democracy. I would assure you, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, that France is frequently in the Pope’s prayers, as he has not forgotten his family’s origins in Normandy and Béarn.

My visit to France begins in Paris, the country’s capital, often known as the City of Light. For centuries, France has served as a cultural, artistic and spiritual beacon, not only for Europe but also for the whole world. With its cathedral schools, universities and academies dedicated to the pursuit of truth, France has helped to shape the outlook of peoples far beyond its borders. The many brilliant French scholars who were also faithful Catholics demonstrates clearly how the sciences and the arts, literature and philosophy, can contribute to the good of humanity when they are directed toward the pursuit of beauty, goodness and truth, that the world may have life.

French expertise is synonymous with excellence in numerous fields. This was particularly evident in the vast project of restoring the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, in which numerous private and public institutions were involved from the outset, and to which you, Mr President, were especially committed. For this, I thank you. I express my deep appreciation to the many artists, builders, technicians and skilled workers who took part in the restoration. The cathedral’s reopening for the celebration of divine worship, and its embrace of visitors from around the world, was not only an impressive technical achievement but also a symbol of renewed hope. It showed that something considered irreparably destroyed can be reborn through mutual cooperation, and it bore eloquent witness to the unity born of commitment to a common cause. May this remarkable achievement encourage all those responsible for the country’s political, social and religious life to work tirelessly and as one, inspired by a firm and lively hope.

France is a land with deep Christian roots. From the time of Saint Irenaeus and the baptism of Clovis, the soul of the nation has drawn from Christianity a rich spiritual, cultural, intellectual, artistic and missionary élan that continues to be felt in our world today. So it was that humanism flourished in sixteenth century France, as a means of uniting the heritage of classical Greece and Rome with the Christian faith. With the great thinkers of the Renaissance, and later of the Grand Siècle, succeeded by those of the Enlightenment, France was responsible for significant advances in our world, including the recognition of human rights grounded in the nature of the human person, particularly religious freedom. This constant focus on the dignity inherent in every person is echoed in your national motto. Liberty, equality and fraternity are not simply words emblazoned on the front of your public buildings; they refer to universal ethical imperatives that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fulfillment.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was proclaimed here in Paris — and in the drafting of which the French jurist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate René Cassin played a leading role — sought to foster a broader awareness of the inalienable dignity of the human person. Saint John Paul II, who regarded the Declaration as “a real milestone on the path of the moral progress of humanity,” was well aware that “any threat to human rights, whether in the field of material realities or in that of spiritual realities, is equally dangerous for peace, since in every instance it concerns man in his entirety.” [1]

The question of respect for human dignity and the fundamental rights and freedoms that derive from human nature is one that arises in every age and must necessarily keep pace with societal change and technological progress. To be sure, “over the centuries, technological development has significantly improved the living conditions of humanity. At the same time, each phase of progress has also revealed the ambiguity of tools that can cause harm when not oriented toward the good” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 4). In his own day, Georges Bernanos saw the threat that blind obedience and irresponsibility could lead to a “Paradise of Machines,” and pointed out that French civilization had instead sought for centuries to form free men and women who are fully responsible for their actions. [2]

For this reason, I considered it essential to address the subject of Artificial Intelligence in my first Encyclical Letter, with the aim of making the human person once more the focal point of reflection. If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a “paradise of machines” invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good. This is indispensable if we are to recognize the genuine good that enables human beings to flourish in accordance with their primordial vocation, with unconditional respect for their interior freedom and their sacred dignity. Here, I would once more observe that “a truly free society does not impose uniformity but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting an ethical dialogue that enriches the social fabric” ( Address to Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 9 January 2026). This dialogue is all the more urgent in the context of present-day France, where people of differing cultural and religious backgrounds are called to live together and contribute to the progress of society.

It is precisely because of its rich and varied social fabric that France has for centuries been distinguished by a sensitivity to diversity and a strong commitment to solidarity. Through the remarkable efforts of men and women who remained faithful to their humanity and to the values of the Gospel, the Catholic Church in France has demonstrated constant concern for the welfare of the poor and underprivileged, and has sought to be the living face of God’s own mercy and compassion. We can think of the apostolic works of Saint Vincent de Paul, the revival of charity in the seventeenth century, and, in our own day, those many Catholic institutions where caregivers accompany our brothers and sisters in their sufferings. These examples of care and concern serve as a true lesson in humanity; they show the grandeur of compassion and are a powerful reminder of the unique and irreplaceable worth of every human being. They are also a summons to a renewed sense of fraternity, which teaches us to welcome life unconditionally, to support frailty with loving care, to accompany every stage of life with respect and mutual trust, and to defend with courage and compassion those unable to make their voices heard and those who feel ignored or overlooked. That is why I “firmly reiterate that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right” ( i bid. ).

Nowadays there is a temptation to expect science to eliminate or alleviate every form of suffering. This often brings the risk of self-delusion. For when science and technology are not guided by a deeper wisdom, they can offer immediate solutions that apparently address people’s wishes and their pain, but can seriously divert them from the greater good to which they aspire. I am concerned at times by those trends in society that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death. Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of every human life is a duty incumbent upon each and every one of us. It is a duty that begins with the conversion of our minds and hearts, and requires a sincere and selfless commitment to the good of our brothers and sisters.

How can we fail to see such a commitment as an expression of the authentic “secularity” ( laïcité ) of the earthly city? A Christian engaged in public service and is guided by the light of his or her conscience illumined by faith, cannot be considered a proselytizer or a threat to the unity of the nation. Indeed, authentic secularity does not exclude religion but is capable of valuing it as an educational resource (cf. Address to Participants in the National Meeting of Catholic Religion Teachers, 25 April 2026).

That is precisely why Catholic schools have a rightful place in the educational landscape of a country like France. This is part of a broader issue essential to any dialogue, in schools and in society as a whole: learning to know and love ourselves, in order to be able to encounter others with respect and openness (cf. ibid. ).

An authentic secularity, then, consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the State and religious institutions maintain dialogue and join forces in the service of the common good, that the world may have life. In this regard, I express my appreciation for the work being carried out within the framework of the Dialogue Forum between the Holy See, the Catholic Church in France, and the French Government. The contribution of the Catholic Church, through its network of activities and institutions, is surely praiseworthy and beneficial to society as a whole. Such forms of cooperation are a good illustration of the healthy complementarity described by the Second Vatican Council, inasmuch as the political community and the Church “are both at the service of the personal and social vocation of the same individuals, though under different titles. Their service will be more efficient and beneficial to all if both institutions develop better cooperation” (SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 76).

I am also pleased to note that this same desire to assist all individuals, regardless of their origin, has for centuries inspired the cooperation existing between France and the Catholic Church in assisting the Christians of the Middle East. The educational, social, cultural and humanitarian work carried out in those countries, in collaboration with various organizations such as Aid to the Church in Need and L’Œuvre d’Orient, is a valuable contribution to dialogue among peoples and to the promotion of the rights of every person.

In this, we see an eloquent testimony of how culture and faith serve as pillars supporting efforts to foster harmony between different peoples and religions in the service of peace and in mediating between individuals and communities. Education is especially critical in this regard and is one of the principal areas of cooperation, finding concrete and fruitful expression, in particular, through the Fonds pour les écoles d’Orient. Here I would like to express my gratitude to all those involved in this project which, since its establishment in 2021, has made it possible to provide support to more than two hundred and sixty educational institutions in the Middle East, including seven universities in Lebanon and the University of Bethlehem.

How can we speak of this part of the world — where the Prince of Peace was born two thousand years ago — without also thinking of all those men, women and children who suffer from the effects of conflict and the scourge of war? We cannot remain indifferent in the face of their pain, which offends human dignity and cries out to God for justice. The gravity of these situations must challenge us and ought to summon each of us, wherever we find ourselves, to a genuine conversion of heart and a change of attitude. By humbly acknowledging our need for one another, we will be able to work together more effectively to build a civilization of love in the heart of our world, which has become so much more complex and interdependent (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 182). At the same time, as my predecessor Saint John XXIII pointed out in his day, “justice, right reason and the recognition of human dignity cry out insistently for an end to the arms race. The stockpiles of armaments built up in various countries must be reduced all round and simultaneously by the parties concerned. Nuclear weapons must be banned. A general agreement must be reached on a suitable disarmament program, with an effective system of mutual control” (Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, 112). Indeed, the mistaken belief that the possession of nuclear weapons is a guarantee of security is spreading and fueling a new arms race that is difficult to control (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 194). Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice.

I urge you, then, never to grow resigned to the prospect of war or to consider it “inevitable,” but instead to persevere in the promotion of dialogue and diplomacy, in order to preserve peaceful societies that respect the dignity and rights of individuals and peoples. In the face of rumors of war and the varied crises troubling our world, France is called to remain a tireless champion of peace and multilateralism, particularly within our beloved Europe. May France, faithful to its traditional values, work for a peace that is unarmed and disarming, and responsibly offer its unique contribution to that goal. May your liberty grow in constant concern for the common good. May your fraternity embrace the entire human family. And may the equality to which you aspire always be built upon the foundations of justice and charity — not by erasing the differences between people, but by allowing them to flourish harmoniously for the benefit of society as a whole.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like once again to thank you for this meeting. Indeed, to echo the words spoken by Your Excellency to the Bishops of France in 2018, it serves to show how “a Church that claims to be uninterested in temporal matters would not be fulfilling her vocation; and that a President of the Republic who claims to be uninterested in the Church and in Catholics would be failing in his duty.” [3] Be assured of my fervent prayers for your great nation.

May God grant it peace, unity, and prosperity, that the world may have life. I entrust these hopes to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the principal patroness of France.

May God bless France and all the French people!

Mr Director-General, Mr President of the General Conference, Mr President of the Executive Board, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad to be with you today in this assembly of Nations, where languages and cultures meet to cooperate in a project that involves the whole human family: "to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms" (Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Art. 1, para. 1). Building a just world together is, in fact, the very foundation of international cooperation. Our experiences, abilities and skills are directed toward building a space that is welcoming to all and fruitful for each person, so that every people may grow in peace.

As a witness of peace I extend my cordial greeting to you, Representatives of Member States and Observers, of International Organizations, of the academic world and of civil society. I thank Mr Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of this Organization, for his warm invitation [and for the words he addressed to us]. As a Pastor, I bring you the word of the Church, which time and again becomes "message" and "dialogue" toward all peoples, women and men of good will (cf. St Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam, 67).

The project of building a just world together coincides with a mission that we have learned to share throughout history. In this regard, UNESCO represents both a goal and an instrument for continuing this task today with renewed commitment, according to our many fields of activity. In 2027 we will mark the 75th anniversary of the Holy See's presence at UNESCO: a presence that springs from the conviction that the future depends above all on respect for and the promotion of the inalienable dignity of every human being created in the image of God. For this reason we consider this Organization a privileged partner in the service of the common good, which is the "social form of dignity" that we all share in an original and equal way (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica humanitas, 59). Since 1952, the Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission has, with this outlook, evaluated and accompanied UNESCO's initiatives, contributing to dialogue among nations in order to support authentic human development, which is such only when it is directed "to the promotion of every man and of the whole man" (St Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum progressio, 14).

Addressing this assembly, my venerated predecessor Saint John Paul II recalled that "genus humanum arte et ratione vivit." Since, therefore, "man lives a truly human life thanks to culture" (Address to UNESCO, 2 June 1980, 6; cf. St Thomas Aquinas, In Aristotelis Posteriora Analytica, 1), this word "culture" indicates the way of being through which man gives meaning to everything he does. Forty-six years later, as I renew among you the Holy See's commitment to cooperation, I invite you to conceive of UNESCO not only as an illustrious international body, but as a place where humanity reflects on itself, on its history and on its future. Indeed, it is impossible to promote education, the sciences and culture without promoting the life of man and woman, who are their protagonists.

In the field of education, the Catholic Church has a very ancient experience: for centuries its communities have opened schools and universities, taught people to read and write, and been present even in the poorest and most remote places. With the Global Compact on Education, my predecessor Francis wished to insert this experience into a broader educational alliance, open to the contribution of all. But what I wish to convey to you is not primarily the works: it is the conviction from which they spring. No education is complete unless it addresses the question of meaning. In that same address, Saint John Paul II recalled that to educate means to help man "to be" more and not only to "have" more, recognizing in him also that transcendence of the person which belongs to the fullness of his humanity (cf. ibid., 10-11).

In our assembly, then, a fundamental question deserves to be explored, one that urgently challenges us: what does it mean to be human? Every culture is caught up in this question, which touches the point of convergence of all knowledge, art and religion. Even in the twenty-first century, after all, we cannot take for granted that we know who man is and what it means to live in a human way. Every generation, in fact, is called to grapple with this cultural challenge, especially in the face of tragedies that, unfortunately, still occur today.

First of all, man is one who is conceived and born: to be human therefore means, first and foremost, to be a child. None of us chose to be one. No one decided from whom, or when, or where to be born. This evident fact sheds light on something that is not only biological, but ethical: as children, we are all brothers and sisters. Our humanity is from the outset a gift and a test, a promise and a responsibility. For all human beings, being begotten entails an original bond, a communion of life that has in the family its source and its first educational setting.

Secondly, we are all born naked and needy. We are poor from birth: lacking bread and word, care and affection — that is, everything that nourishes body and spirit. We know this well, and yet as we become adults we risk forgetting it. And it is precisely the needy who suffer the greatest consequences of this amnesia, whenever their humanity is betrayed or discarded, exploited or deceived. Forgetting our birth obscures the idea of human life, because it detaches it from the history common to us all. Then life is no longer conceived as a gift, but as merchandise. It is no longer seen as a call to care and responsibility, but as a product to be exploited. This dramatic alternative reminds us precisely that to be human means to be free by nature. Since each of us is a child, our freedom begins by responding to the freedom of the one who first speaks to us, with gestures of affection or rejection, of loving welcome or abandonment and cruelty.

Thirdly, then, to remember our common humanity means to recognize that it is magnificent, that is, full of potential, even though marked by many evils and injustices. Those who devote themselves to education, science and culture are called, all the more, to care for every person, so that the beauty of our freedom may shine forth. This beauty has a name: justice. Yes, freedom is beautiful when it is directed toward the good and the truth; it is disfigured when it slides into arbitrariness, violence and the thirst for power. To be human thus implies a responsibility before the summons of history: man is one who grows, learns, works with mind and hands. Through his commitment he can cultivate or disfigure the earth, produce art or destroy. At this particular moment, we must recognize that the most terrible of "human works" is war; for in it, science itself is placed at the service of an inhuman will to destroy and kill.

In this regard, the Preamble to UNESCO's Constitution opens with words that retain a striking relevance — as we have seen at the "Wall of Peace" —: "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed" (Constitution of UNESCO, Preamble, 1945). These words were written in the aftermath of the Second World War: the most devastating tragedy of the past century. Humanity had understood that scientific progress, when separated from wisdom, can turn into a devastating weapon; that culture, when it bends to ideology, can become lies and propaganda; that education, when it renounces truth, degrades into an instrument for manipulating consciences. The founding States of UNESCO understood that treaties are necessary, but not sufficient in themselves. They require a culture and a shared commitment to peace to sustain them. Peace cannot be built through treaties alone, nor through compromises between opposing forces. Peace is true when it springs from the virtue of justice rather than from a mere contract, from an upright will rather than an unstable balance of interests. Indeed, only an upright will can recognize in another a brother or sister, a person like oneself.

Eighty years later, the words of your founding Charter have lost none of their force. And yet we also see how deeply this shared principle is threatened by forms of barbarity that foment rivalry and conflict. Among the challenges facing the scientific and educational world today, I would point in particular to those opened up in the vast field of technology. Our efforts in this area must ensure that new technologies remain at the service of the human person, rather than becoming a further instrument of domination and injustice.

Over the centuries, many activities once carried out by human beings have been entrusted to machines, whose capacities and applications have continued to expand. More recently, some artificial systems have even been given the name of our human faculty of thought: intelligence. At the same time, however, our ideas and relationships risk being impoverished by a process of dehumanization. The paradox has become ever more evident: while "intelligence" is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are assessed by the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, rejected and discarded.

This painful reality invites us to reflect both on the fragility of our human nature and on the immense dignity of every human person, a dignity that remains intact even in the most vulnerable circumstances, even unto death itself. Yes, the human being is certainly one who is born, but is also one who dies. Our dignity is not destroyed by illness or pain, nor does it depend on the performance a person is capable of. On the contrary, it requires loving care at every stage of life.

For the Christian faith, the mystery of the human person finds its full light in Christ, who, "in revealing the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear" (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 22). In his light, every person appears to us as a creature willed and loved by God. This light also helps us to grasp more deeply the meaning of our common human experience.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in the name of our shared history, as men and women of science, you are constantly called to cooperate, so that from a diversity of perspectives a convergence of outlooks may mature, and from a convergence of outlooks, a harmony of action. This harmony is expressed in the work of UNESCO when it gives symphonic voice to the highest intentions of goodness and care for humanity. Where there is harmony, there is agreement among different voices, and thus concord among the Nations you represent.

In this regard, I would like to draw on two images from the Bible, the great cultural code of humanity: the Tower of Babel and the square of Pentecost. I propose them to you as ways of representing the unity of the human family which, even today, is continually called to discern the direction, the meaning of the history it is passing through. These biblical accounts, in fact, narrate two social forms that lead us to reflect on the circumstances of our present.

The Tower of Babel represents a unity imposed through domination (cf. Gen 11:4). At the same time, this edifice reveals that the more power oppresses, the more it weakens itself, showing its inhuman face. This can be seen in the sufferings and injustices caused by despotism, as well as in the exploitation that wounds society and the environment. As history teaches, many empires celebrated their arrogance before consuming themselves and collapsing like a tower. The result of this pride, exalted and then destroyed, is dispersion. The presumption of making oneself like God and subjecting peoples to a single yoke results in the confusion of languages and general incomprehension. Instead of touching the sky, as it claimed to do, the Tower of Babel collapses, with a double negative effect. Just as the unity it imposed was forced, so the diversity that follows its collapse is conflictual. Today, the temptation of Babel reappears in a globalization pursued without fraternity, in avid financial colonialism, in ideological impositions, in all those "contacts without bonds" that reduce human life to commerce (cf. International Theological Commission, Quo vadis, humanitas?, 42). Science itself, when reduced to a technique of power, no longer serves to elevate the human person, but instead risks degrading the fruits of human endeavor.

In particular, today we have instruments capable of instantly connecting people and continents, and yet we witness new forms of isolation, of material and spiritual poverty, of abandonment. Communication has become much faster, but not necessarily more truthful; information is abundant, but does not coincide with wisdom. Without a shared code of ethics, the most varied channels of communication risk multiplying false information, or using words without meaning, hindering dialogue rather than fostering it.

Artificial intelligence accentuates this problem: although these systems are capable of correlating data, they cannot answer questions about the meaning of human existence, which is rooted in lived experience. And yet human beings cannot live without meaning. Meaning is the oxygen of the mind. Therefore the challenges of communication, which are always challenges of education, raise the question of truth as a matter of social justice and historical equity. This is why education in this field is essential, and I welcome UNESCO's initiative through its "Media and Information Literacy" (MIL) programme, which promotes the responsible use of media and digital tools.

Indeed, without truth, language ends up submitting to the logic of violence and to the arbitrary will of the powerful. Others are thus excluded in the name of profit, and the innocent are killed in the name of freedom. Instead of respecting the law, those who hold power invoke it when it serves their interests and ignore it when it limits them, even treating justice as a commodity to be bought and sold. If we recognize that the corruption of law begins with the corruption of the heart, we can appreciate that any science risks losing its meaning if it is conducted without ethics, thereby ceasing to serve and reflect human dignity.

In this regard, I urge the international community as a whole to devote particular attention to the protection of children and young people. In the digital age, their vulnerability must never become an occasion for exploitation. May these technologies support their growth, their formation and their relationships, safeguarding their freedom to think and discern, and remaining always at the service of the dignity of the human person.

The corruption of culture we are speaking of is redeemed on the square of Pentecost. There, a message of peace is welcomed as good news by all peoples. That proclamation announces the resurrection of Jesus, that is, the victory of life over death, the salvation that gives hope to the world. On the day of Pentecost, the square becomes the place where the peace that heals every offense against the human person is celebrated. Each one hears this message "in his own language," and communion does not at all prevent diversity (cf. Acts 2:8). On the contrary, it allows diversity to flourish in the harmony of voices and faces. In the proclamation of peace, the variety of cultures becomes a vehicle of a universal truth. Biblical teaching thus points us toward what we are all seeking: "that unity which does not cancel out differences, but values the personal history of each individual and the social and religious culture of every people" (Homily at the Eucharistic Celebration for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry, 18 May 2025). Not the arrogance of Babel, but the peace of Pentecost makes such communion among all peoples possible. Every culture thus achieves its highest wisdom when it seeks peace and the good of all, bearing witness to the authentic meaning of our humanity.

Those who work in the field of education know that only the truth sets us free. Those who teach and those who do research know that error enslaves us to ignorance and superstition. Whenever we feel obstacles to our mission, let us remember that there is only one earth for everyone, and one common human nature. The human being cannot be understood by separating what belongs to a whole: body and soul, personal life and relationships, our relationship with others and with the environment. Everything is part of the unity of our existence. Therefore, cultivating the earth implies cultivating the humanity that inhabits it. Education and science are called to this task. Indeed, as the etymology of the term teaches, every culture is cultivation. I therefore renew the appeal of my predecessors to care for the human person and creation together: Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the need for an ecology of the human person, while Pope Francis developed the perspective of integral ecology (cf. Benedict XVI, Address to the Federal Parliament, 22 September 2011; Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato si', 137-162).

The touchstone that allows us to evaluate this commitment of ours is the care we have for the smallest and the poorest: children in the womb and in the various theatres of war, persons with physical and intellectual disabilities, the elderly, migrants and refugees, and all those whom pride excludes as unproductive. They are the proving ground of our claims about respect for human dignity, whose protection and promotion also extend to creation. On the opposite side stands a will to exploitation and plunder, which aims to squeeze as much as possible from every living being, consuming without caring for and destroying without cultivating. Thus the current ecological crisis is an anthropological crisis; moreover, the Church is convinced that every culture bears within it a wisdom that matures within an ecosystem of peoples. Yes, the habitat of the human person is indeed society: not merely a physical environment, like the desert or the ocean for animals, but a moral and relational environment. In social peace, peoples prosper according to justice.

Consequently, UNESCO finds here the synthesis of its lofty educational and scientific tasks: in the patient work of building peace. Faced with the many and complex urgencies of our time, the world looks upon international institutions with mixed feelings. On the one hand, they are called to respond to challenges that no single State can face alone. On the other hand, these same institutions experience a crisis of effectiveness, especially when dialogue is judged to be a brake on action rather than a resource for peace, a form of hypocrisy rather than an opportunity to seek the good together. In the face of these tendencies, we need to promote a virtue that today appears as rare as it is desired: trust — trust that differences do not necessarily constitute a threat; trust that sincere dialogue can generate a greater good than each could build alone. The Holy See wishes to instill this trust in UNESCO, as in other international Organizations, aware that every people possesses a wealth to share along the path toward that authentic progress which only peace can guarantee. This is not a matter of preaching a naive optimism that ignores difficulties, but of persevering in the hope that good is always possible. Every child who is born carries hope with him. Every man and woman who devotes his or her life to the search for truth performs an act of hope. May UNESCO, then, bear witness to this hope by fostering understanding among Nations, through dialogue between their respective cultures. We believe, in fact, that education is the instrument for overcoming mutual fears and that science can serve the life of every human being, sowing in the present the good harvest of the future. This trust nourishes our hope in charity, that is, in service for the good of neighbor: by devoting ourselves all, with consistency, to our magnificent humanity, peace will finally be able to flourish.

In collaborating on this work, religious traditions play a culturally necessary and irreplaceable role, and religions give voice to our questions about the origin of life and its end, elaborating the first and ultimate meaning of existence, which is reflected in daily choices. Indeed, when men and women of good will direct their actions toward God, the pluralism of cultures does not disperse into the disorder of Babel. Humanity instead finds itself in a common search for meaning, oriented toward a destiny that is not death. We are not journeying toward nothingness. This is why the human soul, in its relationship with God, feels all the more intensely the call to cultivate peace through an alliance among peoples who recognize one another as children of the same Father and as brothers and sisters to one another.

I therefore hope that our meeting will strengthen each one's commitment to work tirelessly, so that the awareness of belonging to a single humanity may become more alive, active and upright. In this regard, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all the staff of UNESCO, who carry out with competence and dedication this most lofty mission: building peace by cultivating every science and art of humanity.

I entrust these words to all of you, to the Peoples you represent and, in a special way, to young people. It is precisely the new generations, in fact, who observe our actions with the greatest attention. As we support their desires for justice, with gratitude and esteem I invoke upon all of you and upon your Nations the abundance of the blessings of God, almighty and merciful Creator. Thank you.