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VATICAN CITY \u2014 Christians \u201ccannot accept the oppression of the weak and the poor, nor the unjust structures that perpetuate conditions of dependence and injustice,\u201d Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience<\/a>.<\/p>\n By worshipping Christ, \u201cthe Righteous One who died for the unrighteous,\u201d the faithful are called to work for justice, peace and fraternity, the pope said Oct. 7 in St. Peter\u2019s Square.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Church, therefore, \u2018has no fiercer desire than that in pursuit of the welfare of all she may be able to develop herself freely under any kind of government which grants recognition to the basic rights of person and family, to the demands of the common good,’\u201d he said, quoting from the conciliar constitution, \u201cGaudium et Spes,\u201d as he continued his series of talks on documents from the Second Vatican Council.<\/p>\n Just as Christ was incarnated to reconcile the world with God, the Church exists within the world as a \u201csign of the incarnation of God, in order to manifest His plan to make us all His children in one great human family,\u201d Pope Leo<\/a> said.<\/p>\n Journeying through history alongside different peoples and cultures helps the Church understand more clearly the scope of its mission, he said. That mission begins with helping people \u201cbe attentive to the profound questions of life: those concerning our origin and our destiny, as well as those concerning the meaning of love and suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe logic of profit at all costs and the manipulation of information risk exerting undue pressure on people to conform to a lifestyle centered on the consumption of material goods, but our hearts are made to look upwards,\u201d Pope Leo said.<\/p>\n The Church\u2019s mission also includes contributing to building the \u201cearthly city,\u201d he said, although its methods and aims are not primarily political. Rather, the Church bears witness to \u201cfaith and charity, together with commitment for justice, peace, and fraternity.\u201d<\/p>\n To live the Gospel fully, Catholics must cooperate with the grace of the Holy Spirit so that their professed faith is reflected in their daily lives, the pope said, continuing his reflections on the constitution \u201cGaudium et Spes.\u201d<\/p>\n The discrepancy between professed faith and daily life, the council wrote, \u201cdeserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age.\u201d<\/p>\n Living the faith in contemporary society also requires pastors, theologians and the faithful to discern what in modern cultures is worthy of consideration without \u201cwatering down\u201d Christianity to make it more attractive, Pope Leo said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis requires a balanced mind, free from cultural trends, capable of viewing the world in a positive light whilst remaining steadfast in preserving and presenting the Gospel message in its entirety,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Church is not \u201cabove\u201d or \u201cbeside\u201d the world, but rather \u201cgrafted into it,\u201d Pope Leo said, and its ultimate purpose is that God\u2019s kingdom may come and \u201cthe salvation of the whole human race may come to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe strives towards this end above all through personal holiness and fraternal love,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>