VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The fight against illegal drugs and narcotrafficking must target not just drug supplies, but also the demand for drugs through prevention programs and assistance, Pope Francis said.
"The state's silence on this issue only normalizes and facilitates the promotion of the consumption and trade of drugs," he said in a video message released by the Vatican March 26 to Catholics in the Archdiocese of Rosario, Argentina.
Rosario, the country's third-largest city, has become one of the most dangerous, being a hub for Argentina's illicit drug industry and criminal gangs. The violence has escalated, and federal troops were recently deployed to fight drug trafficking in Rosario.
In his video message, the pope said, "we understand the need for the presence of security forces to bring tranquility to the community. However, we know that on the road to peace, complex and holistic answers must be found with the collaboration of all the institutions that make up the life of a society."
The current situation in Rosario would never have been possible "without the complicity of a segment of political, police, judicial, economic and financial powers," he said.
Therefore, he said, while it is necessary to strengthen the community, especially by helping the most vulnerable, it is necessary to "rehabilitate" politics and the public sectors so that they seek the common good and create laws and policies that help repair "the social fabric."
"It is necessary to work not only on the supply but also on the demand for drugs through prevention and assistance policies," he said, condemning "the silence of the state" on the issue.
Justice in a democratic system must be guaranteed and independent "in order to investigate the corruption and money laundering schemes that facilitate the advancement of drug trafficking," he said.
Every member of the judicial system is responsible for safeguarding its integrity, "which begins with the integrity of his or her heart," the pope said, thanking all those who, "with their silent commitment to justice, often put their own lives at risk for the common good in a context that is so often dehumanized."
The pope also emphasized the need for honesty in the private and business sectors.
There is much work to do, he said, "not only in preventing complicity in business with mafia organizations, but also in a social commitment."
Every social, civil and religious institution "must be united to do what we do best: create community," he said. "Fear always isolates, fear paralyzes. Do not be afraid to engage with others to be a peaceful and inspiring response."
He emphasized the importance of the parish as being a place where everyone in a community can feel loved. "For many vulnerable children, adolescents and young people, it will perhaps be the only experience of family that they will have the opportunity to know."
"During this time, love, charity, will be the most explicit proclamation of the Gospel for a society that feels threatened," Pope Francis said.
Caption: Pope Francis delivers a video message released by the Vatican March 26, 2024, to Catholics in the Archdiocese of Rosario, Argentina, where drug- and gang-related violence has escalated. (CNS photo/screengrab Vatican Media)