Among his many meetings in Buenos Aires on Nov. 9, Pope Leo XIV met with leaders of the different Christian communities (Catholic, Orthodox, evangelical) and other religious traditions (Jewish, Muslim and native religions) represented in Argentina. He addressed them as fellow believers, who, while bearing witness through various creeds, accept a common role and mission: that of serving as “guardians of human dignity” and “expressions of our freedom,” and “cultivat[ing] hope.”

“Religions remind everyone that we are made of more than matter,” Pope Leo said. “We bear witness to the fact that we do not come from nothing and were not made for death. In this way, then, religions safeguard human dignity.”

The very word, “religieri,” from which the word religion derives, “means to connect, to bind people to one another.” Thus, religions can “bring peoples together in harmony.”

Religions, he proposed, also look with hope to the future of humanity. “When human beings speak to God, they open themselves to the future. Yes, the future is the time of faith. Religions are a bond between generations, an age-old memory, prophecy, expectation and promise. That is why believers always look to the future with hope. When the light of faith pierces the darkness of death, hope is restored to the future of every man and woman, of society and of the whole world.”

A hope, he specified, which inspires acts of charity. “Herein lies our service to humanity: to build a better future for all, as we await the blessed fulfillment of history….

“May the Almighty bless our enthusiasm for humanity and inspire our commitment to peace: the peace that will be fulfilled forever in the holy name of God.”