During his General Audience on 30 July, Pope Leo encouraged the faithful to learn to speak properly, using words that heal and not hurt. Addressing the faithful the Pope brought everyone’s attention to the present, noting that “this time we are living through also needs healing”.
Pope Leo described today’s world as being marked by “a climate of violence and hatred” that deeply wounds human dignity. Our society, he said, is growing ill, not from isolation, but from a kind of overload. “We are hyperconnected,” he said, “bombarded by images, sometimes false or disto-rted.” Social media, he warned, has produced a kind of emotional ‘buli-mia’, where too much input leaves us exhausted and confused. In the midst of this, many feel tempted to shut down, continued the Pope. “We might even prefer to feel nothing at all,” he said, noting that words themselves are increasingly fragile.
Bringing his address to a close, the Pope reminded us that true communi-cation is not only about being effective but rather it is about healing, about not hurting others with our words. “Speaking corre-ctly is the beginning of a journey,” he said. And this journey leads us to Jesus Himself, through His Passion and Cross.
