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November 22, 2019It is Christians only if it recognizes "the dignity of a human being": the Pope said this in his speech to priests, religious and catechists. "I wish to support and encourage so many of you who daily spend their lives serving Jesus in the brothers" and "to many of you who can see beauty where others only see contempt , abandonment or a sexual object to be exploited. So, you you are a concrete sign of the living and working mercy of the Lord ".

There is so much " economic and social inequality between the rich and the poor" and technological advances may not be a solution. The Pope said this to the bishops of Thailand at the Shrine of Blessed Nicholas Boonkerd Kitbamrung.

"You live in a multicultural and multireligious continent, endowed with great beauty and prosperity, but experienced at the same time by poverty and exploitation extended to various levels. Rapid technological advances can open immense possibilities to facilitate life, but they can also give rise - stressed Pope Francis - to a growing consumerism and materialism, especially among young people ".

"You carry on your shoulders the concerns of your people, faced with the scourge of drugs and trafficking in persons, the need to deal with a large number of migrants and refugees, the poor working conditions, the exploitation of labor suffered by many , as well as the economic and social inequality that exists between the rich and the poor. In the midst of these tensions lies the pastor, struggling and interceding with his people and his people ".

" We were chosen as servants, not masters or lords ": Pope Francis said in the meeting with the bishops of Thailand. "This means that we must support those we serve with patience and kindness, listening to them, respecting their dignity, always encouraging and valuing their apostolic initiatives".

"We do not lose sight of the fact that many of your lands have been evangelized by the laity," the Pope added. "We do not clericalize the mission. These lay people had the opportunity to speak the dialect of the people, a simple and direct exercise of inculturation theoretical or ideological, but the fruit of the passion of sharing Christ ".

Faith can not only be imported by foreigners but must somehow speak "in dialect" said Pope Francis speaking to priests, men and women religious, seminarians and catechists in the parish of St. Peter of Wat Roman in Tha Kham.

"By preparing this meeting I was able to read - said Pope Francis -, with a certain punishment, which for many Christian faith is a foreign faith, is the religion of foreigners. This reality urges us to courageously seek ways to proclaim the faith "In dialect," to the way a mother sings her baby's lullaby. With such confidence, you give her a face and 'Thai flesh', which is much more than doing translations. It is letting the Gospel strip you of good clothes but foreigners, to resonate with the music that is proper to you in this land and to make the soul of our brothers vibrate with the same beauty that has ignited our hearts ", the pontiff concluded.

The Pope invited "not to be afraid to look for new symbols and images, a particular music that helps the Thais to reawaken the wonder that the Lord wants to give us. We must not be afraid of 'inculturating' the Gospel more and more".