Source: President of South Africa –
Your Holiness, thank you for your warm welcome to this Eternal City and the heart of the Catholic faith. I bring you good wishes from the government and people of South Africa and offer our prayers and support for your leadership of the Catholic Church.
We meet at a time when humanity faces immense challenges. To many, it seems easier to fund wars than to invest in peace. Conflicts across the globe are dividing societies and inflicting untold destruction. These global challenges cannot be resolved by nations acting alone; only through solidarity and multilateralism.
Economic inequality continues to rise, stifling opportunity and hindering shared prosperity. Our planet is strained by the current modes of production and consumption, which threaten the survival of generations to come. We are now, more than ever, required to think beyond the immediate and commit to sustainable solutions.
To overcome these immense trials, we must summon a new global spirit. Through our G20 Presidency, South Africa sees an opportunity to promote solidarity that advances the common good.
This is a moment to forge greater equality, empowering the marginalised, unlocking human potential and ensuring justice for all.
Only through unified action and innovation will we build a world characterised by a just peace, shared prosperity and a healthy environment.
We therefore commend the important role of the Holy Father as a leader in the spiritual life of the nations of the world. The passing of Pope Francis was a great loss to the world, which we felt deeply. He was able to draw the world together to seek answers to the most pressing questions of our time.
Holy Father, your election as successor to St Peter has provided hope and encouragement.
Our country is home to almost 4 million Catholics. This group represents a cross section of our multi-cultural society, comprising South Africans from diverse historical, social and linguistic backgrounds. Faith-based communities have been at the forefront of our struggle for democracy, human rights and social justice.
Drawing on our history, mindful of the state of the world today, we are preparing to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit later this month under the theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.
As we seek to create a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented vision for the world, the work of the Summit will be guided by South Africa’s philosophy of Ubuntu, which recognises our share humanity.
We will prioritise pressing issues, such as inequality, food security and the social, economic and environmental development of Africa and the Global South.
Solidarity has been a defining characteristic of human development.
The human impulse is not towards isolation, but towards community. We are drawn to one another, to conversation, to shared labour. It is through this solidarity that the strong discover their true strength: not in dominion, but in lifting up the weak. So too must the wealthy nations embrace their duty to the poor, in health, in education and in security, not as an act of charity, but to build a just world.
Yet, even as we strive for these goals, the shadows of division and fragmentation lengthen. In such a time, we are summoned to forge a common front of the human spirit. We are called to build a multilateral order rooted in universal values, where the rule of law is the shield of the powerless and justice is a foundation for lasting peace.
We must take action to tackle the ecological harms that threaten us all. We must ensure that the burdens of debt do not chain successive generations to poverty. At the heart of all our endeavours must lie a relentless pursuit of equality.
From the suffering in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the anguish in Ukraine and Palestine, our conscience must be consistent. We must strive for peace and justice wherever human lives are held captive by war.
South Africa, born from the wisdom of dialogue and the grace of reconciliation, carries a unique heritage. It is our knowledge that even the bitterest of enemies can sit at a common table that we offer to the world. We believe we have a responsibility to help facilitate the difficult dialogues that lead to lasting peace, and to extend a hand in the recovery of communities shattered by the scourge of war and famine.
For in the end, our freedom, our security and our prosperity are bound together. To ignore the plight of any is to ultimately endanger the future of all.
Our commitment to equality, justice and peace is central to our identity as South Africans.
We recognise the critical leadership role of the Holy See in human affairs. We recognise that the best partnerships are those that are based on common interest and understanding. We join the Holy See’s commitment to peace, prosperity and equality.
Your Holiness, I was greatly inspired by your comment in another meeting with a head of state, that peace requires dignified, prosperous coexistence.
In addressing the global prosperity deficit, the Jubilee Commission Report and the Church’s calls for reforms to the international financial system resonate deeply with our agenda at the G20 and our mission as a nation.
Many African countries spend more on servicing debt than on education or healthcare. Innovative financial instruments and reforms of the global financial system are essential if we are to build a fairer, more peaceful and prosperous world.
Through our G20 Presidency, working with all other nations, we hope to move towards a fairer, more just and equitable world order. With none believing that they are better or greater than the other.
As we seek to tackle these immense challenges together, it is my great privilege to join the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference to extend an invitation to the Holy Father to visit South Africa. We would be greatly honoured to host you in our beautiful country.
Your Holiness, I once again extend our appreciation for welcoming us here today. It is a great blessing for us to be here and walk through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica during this Jubilee Year of Hope. I will carry these blessings and spirit of hope back to our people in South Africa.
I thank you.