Pope Francis encouraged members of the Italian Craftsmen’s Association to become craftsmen of peace, fraternity and beauty.
Lisa Zengarini
Pope Francis met on Saturday with members of Italy’s Compartigianato, an association of craftsmen, and encouraged them to be craftsmen of peace and fraternity in a war-torn world where the poor are being discarded. “May your hands, eyes, and feet be signs of a creative and generous humanity,” he said.
Technology cannot replace human creativity
The Pope began his address by pointing out that since the association’s founding in 1946, new technologies have increased the potential of the field and craftsmanship has undergone a major transformation. But technology must not replace the human imagination, which is created in the image and likeness of God, he said, adding, “While humans invent, machines reproduce even at exceptional speed.” That’s it!” he said.
Pope Francis went on to consider further the characteristics of creativity that characterize craftsmanship, stating that their work is connected to three specific parts of the body.
Everyone must be recognized with dignity as a worker.
The first part is the hands. “Manual labor is not an equal production,” the Pope said, because “it involves the craftsman in God’s creative work.” “It requires the creative ability to combine the skill of the hands, the passion of the heart, and the ideas of the head. This makes the craftsman a co-worker with God.”
However, the Pope also pointed out that not everyone is lucky enough to have this ability, and some craftsmen are unable to find qualified personnel in their workshops. He therefore encouraged attendees not to hesitate in offering jobs to the most vulnerable in society: young people, women, migrants and people with disabilities. “Everyone must be recognized with the dignity of a worker,” the Pope stressed.
Cooperate with God’s Creation and Reject Consumerism
The second part of the body necessary for the craftsman’s work is the eye, which is “the ability to see the masterpiece in inert matter before it is made.” Indeed, craftsmen are “the first to understand the potential beauty of matter, which brings them closer to the Creator,” the Pope said, recalling that Jesus himself was a carpenter. Stated.
Through their work, craftsmen teach us to “recognize the value and beauty of the materials” created by God, and in other words, to reject the “disposable mentality” of modern consumer society. he continued.
fraternity of craftsmen
Finally, Pope Francis reflected on the feet that allow artisans’ crafts to travel around the world, meeting people’s needs and developing relationships. That’s why, he said, craftsmen are seen as fraternal craftsmen, like the Good Samaritan.
“Thanks to our feet, we can meet many people who have fallen on our way and become companions” in their journey “in a culture of indifference,” the Pope said.
There, Pope Francis encouraged those in attendance to “be artisans of peace in a time when war causes casualties and the voices of the poor are not heard.”
“And may your hearts always be passionate about beauty,” the Pope concluded, entrusting the protection of St. Joseph, the patron saint of craftsmen.