At the opening ceremony of the Judicial Year of the Vatican City State, Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude for the “discreet and quiet” work of the judicial system.
In his first address to the Vatican judiciary, the Pope noted that authentic justice cannot be based simply on positive law, but must rather be understood as the “exercise of an ordered form of charity”.
Drawing heavily on the teachings of St. Augustine, Pope Leo said justice is a cardinal virtue that lies at the heart of personal and communal life.
“When love is rightly ordered—when God is placed at the center and one’s neighbor is recognized in their dignity—then the whole of personal and social life regains its proper orientation,” he said.
The order of love, he added, gives rise to the order of justice, since authentic love is never arbitrary or disordered, but recognizes the truth of relationships and the dignity of every person.
“Theological wisdom has expressed this relationship with the affirmation that caritas perfecta, perfecta iustitia est (‘perfect charity is perfect justice’), because in the fullness of charity justice finds its most authentic fulfillment,” he said.
Justice requires us to respect the rights of every person, leaving space in ordered relationships for the highest fruit of love to be born.
“Justice, when exercised with balance and fidelity to the truth, becomes one of the firmest factors of unity in the community,” he said. “It does not divide; rather, it strengthens the bonds that unite persons and helps to build that mutual trust which makes ordered coexistence possible.”
Turning to the role of justice and law in Vatican City State, Pope Leo XIV said the judicial process contributes to upholding the credibility of institutions, beyond merely resolving disputes.
The conditions required to fulfill this task, he added, include observance of procedural guarantees, judicial impartiality, right to defense, and reasonable duration of proceedings.
Quoting St. Augustine, the Pope said, “Without justice, one cannot administer the State; it is impossible for there to be law in a State in which there is no true justice.”
By carefully examining the facts of each case, the Vatican judiciary fulfills its ecclesial mission to serve the people of God, since every proceeding and judgement must reflect the “search for truth which lies at the heart of the Church’s life.”
Pope Leo XIV concluded his address to members of the Vatican judiciary by recalling that authentic justice provides a factor of stability and trust within society.
“May justice always be illumined by truth and accompanied by mercy, since both find their fullness in Christ,” he said. “Law, thus applied with uprightness and ecclesial spirit, becomes a precious instrument for building communion and strengthening the unity of the people of God.”
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