Pope Francis: Support workers and their needs

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday greeted employees of Italian National Social Security Institute in St Peter’s Square, where he stressed the importance of supporting the dignity of work and workers.

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In his prepared remarks to the estimated 23 thousand employees and executives of the Italian National Social Security Institute or INPS, gathered in St Peter’s Square on Saturday, Pope Francis told them that they had an important role in society in that they have been entrusted with, what the Holy Father defined at the right to rest.

The Pope was referring not only to benefits of which every employee is entitled but also to spiritual rest such as on a Sunday, the rest God wanted on the seventh day.

The Holy Father noted the challenges that those at the Institute have to face in today’s society, especially with regards to insufficient employment and often the precarious nature of work.

Pope Francis went on to stress that it was important to remember those who were especially in need of their attention, such as, unemployed workers and their families, working mothers, pensioners, and those who have the right to retire, and those who have suffered work related injuries

Work, underlined the Pope, cannot be a mere cog in a mechanism that grinds resources to earn more and more profits while sacrificing values and principles. He also said, it was imperative to support the dignity of work, to work for those who work and for those who are not able to. Support the weakest, the Pope concluded “so that everyone has the chance to have the freedom to live a truly human life.”