Buenos Aires, November 8, 2026 The common good that authority is called to serve must also be discerned concretely in the circumstances of everyday life. Here, the family, the basic unit of society, plays an essential role. Within the family, each individual learns to discover that his or her life is linked to that of others and is responsible for them. At home, we learn to care for the weak, to forgive, to share and to remain close to those in need; in the family too, many men and women receive the first seeds of faith.
A fundamental element of the common good is the capacity to earn a living through one’s own work. This land knows well and esteems the efforts of all those who work for a living, in the countryside and in the cities, in shops and factories, in schools and in hospitals, as well as those who start businesses and those who work to support their families, day after day. Work enables men and women to provide for their loved ones, to develop their abilities and to feel that they are participating in the building up of their homeland (cf. Dilexi Te, 115). For this reason, efforts should be made to promote whatever creates opportunities, stimulates private initiative and ensures that economic growth also benefits those who are disadvantaged. Here I think of families facing an uncertain future, the unemployed, the elderly who for years contributed to society, and all those who, despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household’s needs. ...
With these considerations, another question arises: What place do children yet unborn occupy in our decision-making? Before asking ourselves what kind of world we will leave our children, we must first recognize their dignity. Our responsibility toward future generations begins with welcoming life from its very first moments and safeguarding it until its natural end (cf. Saint John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 101).
That same dignity requires that particular concern be shown for those affected by illness, dependency and disability. Here too, we have a duty to care for others, to alleviate suffering, to accompany them, and to ensure that every person feels that his or her life always retains a value that no circumstance can diminish.
Leo XIV
Address to Authorities and Civil Society
November 8, 2026
