To enable these real men and women to escape from extreme poverty, we must allow them to be dignified agents of their own destiny. Integral Human Development and the full exercise of Human Dignity cannot be imposed. They must be built up and allowed to unfold for each individual, for every family, in communion with others, and in a right relationship with all those areas in which human social life develops friends, communities, towns and cities, schools, businesses and unions, provinces and nations. Now, this proposes the right to education, also for girls who are excluded in certain places. [applause] the right to education which is ensured first and foremost by respecting and reinforcing the primary right of the family to educate its children as well as the right of churches and social groups to support and assist families in the education of their boys and girls. Education conceived in this way is the basis for the implementation of the 2030 agenda and for reclaiming the environment. [applause] at the same time, government leaders must do Everything Possible to ensure that all can have the minimum spiritual and material means needed to live in dignity and to create and support a family, which is the primary cell of any social development. In practical terms, this absolute minimum has three games lodging, labor, and land. [applause] and one spiritual name, spiritual freedom, which includes religious freedom, the right to education and all other civil rights. [applause] for all this, the simplest and best measure and indicator of the implementation of the new agenda for development will be effective, practical and immediate access, on the part of all, to essential material and spiritual goods housing, dignified and properly remunerated employment, adequate food and drinking water, religious freedom, and more generally, spiritual freedom and education. These pillars of integral Human Development have a Common Foundation and this is the right to life and more generally what we could call the right to existence of human nature itself. [applause] the ecological crisis, and the largescale destruction of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species. The baneful consequences of irresponsible mismanagement of the global economy, guided only by the ambition for wealth and power, must serve as a summons to a forthright reflection on man. Man is not only a freedom which he creates for himself. Man does not create himself. He is spirit and will but also nature. Creation is compromised where we ourselves have the final word. The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any instance above ourselves, when we see nothing else but ourselves. Consequently, the defense of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman, and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions. [applause] without the recognition of certain incontestable natural ethical limits and without the immediate implementation of those pillars of integral Human Development, the ideal of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and of promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom risks becoming an unattainable illusion, or even worse, just idle chatter which serves as a cover for all kinds of abuse and corruption. Or for carrying out an ideological colonization by the imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles which are alien to peoples identity and in the end, are irresponsible. [applause] war is the negation of all rights and a dramatic assault on the environment. If we want true integral Human Development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war between nations and between peoples. To this end, there is a need to ensure the uncontested rule of law and tireless recourse to negotiation, mediation and arbitration, as proposed by the charter of the United Nations, which constitutes truly a fundamental juridical norm. The experience of these 70 years since the founding of the United Nations in general, and in particular the experience of these first 15 years of the third millennium, reveal both the effectiveness of the full application of International Norms and the ineffectiveness of their lack of enforcement. When the charter of the United Nations is respected and applied with transparency and sincerity, and without ulterior motives, as an obligatory Reference Point of justice and not as a means of masking spurious intentions, peaceful results will be obtained. [applause] when, on the other hand, the norm is considered simply as an instrument to be used whenever it proves favorable, and to be avoided when it is not, a true pandoras box is opened, releasing Uncontrollable Forces which gravely harm defenseless populations, the cultural milieu and even the biological environment. The preamble and the first article of the charter of the United Nations set forth the foundations of the international juridical framework peace, the pacific solution of disputes and the development of friendly relations between the nations. Strongly opposed to such statements, and in practice denying them, is the constant tendency to the proliferation of arms, especially weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear weapons. An ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction and possibly the destruction of all mankind are selfcontradictory and represent an affront to the entire framework of the United Nations, which would end up as a nations united by fear and distrust. [applause] there is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the nonproliferation treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons. [applause] the recent agreement reached on the nuclear question in a sensitive region of asia and the middle east is proof of the potential of political good will and of law, exercised with sincerity, patience and constancy. I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the cooperation of all the parties involved. [applause] in this sense, hard evidence is not lacking of the negative effects of military and political interventions which are not coordinated between members of the international community. For this reason, while regretting to have to do so, i must renew my repeated appeals regarding the painful situation of the entire middle east, north africa, and other african countries, where christians, together with other cultural or ethnic groups, and even members of the majority religion who have no desire to be caught up in hatred and folly, have been forced to witness the destruction of their places of worship, their cultural and religious heritage, their houses and property, and have faced the alternative either of fleeing or of paying for their adhesion to good and to peace by their own lives or by enslavement. [applause] these realities should serve as a grave summons to an examination of conscience on the part of those charged with the conduct of international affairs. Not only in cases of religious or cultural persecution, but in every situation of conflict, as in ukraine, syria, iraq, libya, south sudan and the great lakes region, real human beings take precedence over partisan interests, however legitimate the latter may be. In wars and conflicts there are individual persons, our brothers and sisters, men and women, young and old, boys and girls who weep, suffer and die. Human beings who are easily discarded when our only response is to draw up lists of problems, strategies, and disagreements. As i wrote in my letter to the secretarygeneral of the United Nations on the 9th of august, 2014, the most basic understanding of Human Dignity compels the international community, particularly through the norms and mechanisms of international law, to do all that it can to stop and to prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities, and to protect innocent peoples. [applause] along the sameines i would mention another kind of conflict which is not always so open, yet is silently killing millions of people. Another kind of war experienced by many of our societies as a result of the narcotics trade. A war which is taken for granted and poorly fought. Drug trafficking is by its very nature accompanied by trafficking in persons, money laundering, the arms trade, child exploitation, and other forms of corruption. A corruption which has penetrated to Different Levels of social, political, military, artistic, and religious life, and, in many cases, has given rise to a parallel structure which threatens the credibility of our institutions. [applause] i began this speech recalling the visits of my predecessors. And now i would hope that my words would be taken above all as a continuation of the final words of the address of pope paul vi. Spoken almost exactly 50 years ago, they remain ever timely. And i quote, the hour has come when a pause, a moment of recollection, reflection, even of prayer, is absolutely needed so that we may think back over our common origin, our history, our common destiny. The appeal to the moral conscience of man has never been as necessary as it is today. For the danger comes neither from progress nor from science. If these are used well, they can help to solve a great number of the Serious Problems besetting mankind. Among other things, human genius, well applied, will surely help to meet the grave challenges of ecological deterioration and of exclusion. I continue in quoting pope paul vi, the real danger comes from man, who has at his disposal ever more powerful instruments that are as well fitted to bring about ruin as they are to achieve lofty conquests. That is what pope paul vi said. The common home of all men must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, and those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of one or other statistic. [applause] this common home of all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain sacredness of created nature. Such understanding and respect call for a higher degree of wisdom, one which accepts transcendence, rejects the creation of an allpowerful elite, and recognizes that the full meaning of individual and collective life is found in the Selfless Service to others and in the sage and respectful use of creation for the common good. To repeat the words of pope paul vi, the edifice of modern civilization has to be built on spiritual principles, for they are the only ones capable not only of supporting it, but also of shedding light on it. El gaucho martin fierro, a classic of literature in my native land, says, brothers should stand by each other, because this is the first law. Keep a true bond between you always, at every time because if you fight among yourselves, youll be devoured by those outside. [applause] the contemporary world, so apparently connected, is experiencing a growing and steady social fragmentation, which places at risk the foundations of social life, and consequently leads to battles between ourselves to defend our conflicting interests. The present time invites us to give priority to actions which generate new processes in society, so as to bear fruit in significant and positive historical events. We cannot permit ourselves to postpone certain agendas for the future. The future demands of us critical and global decisions in the face of worldwide conflicts which increase the number of the excluded and those in need. The praiseworthy international juridical framework of the United Nations organization and of all its activities, like any other human endeavor, can be improved, yet it remains necessary. At the same time it can be the pledge of a secure and happy future for future generations. And so it will, if the representatives of the states can set aside partisan and ideological interests, and sincerely strive to serve the common good. I pray to almighty god that this will be the case, and i assure you of my support and my prayers, and the support and prayers of all the faithful of the catholic church, that this institution, all its member states, and each of its officials, will always render an Effective Service to mankind, a service respectful of diversity and capable of bringing out, for sake of the common good, the best in each people and in every individual. Upon all of you, may god bless you all. [applause] on behalf of the General Assembly, i wish to express, as already has been done, with the hands, our deep appreciation to his holiness, pope francis, for this very important statement, a statement for the reflection and inspiration for all of us. I request representatives to be kind enough to remain in their seats while we accompany his holiness out of the General Assembly hall. The summit for the adoption of the post2015 Development Agenda will begin shortly. In the interim period immediately following the adjournment of this meeting, i invite representatives to remain seated and view the special performances and presentations on the occasion of the convening of the summit. The meeting is adjourned. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] tomorrow our live coverage of pope francis continues in philadelphia. At 4 30 p. M. , the pope will speak at Independence Hall and it is an 30 p. M. , the festival of families. You can watch each event live on cspan. Later in the day, following a Catholic School in harlem, pope francis traveled to Madison Square gardens to an audience 80,000 people. Here is a look at his entrance into Madison Square garden. [applause] on behalf of this very distinguished group, representatives of the hindu, buddhist, jain, sikh, native american, jewish, islamic, and Christian Communities of new york city, our civic and Public Officials and the board of the september 11 memorial foundation, i renew to you our welcome and our joy at your visit. Welcome, holy father. [applause] now, i can tell you, we in new york are sinners. We are sinners. We have many flaws. We make many mistakes. But one of the things we do very well is sincere and fruitful interreligious friendship. Our ancestors came here for religious freedom and they found in new york city an atmosphere of respect and appreciation for religious diversity. About which you just spoke at the United Nations. We, who have the honor of pastoring our people, we work together, we pray together, we meet together, we talk to one another and we try to serve as one the city we are proud to call our earthly home while awaiting our true and eternal residence in heaven. So very often do we recall the face of god is in the midst of the city. And your prayer and your presence and your words this morning inspire us, so thank you for being here. [applause] you may be seated. You may be seated. In this place, where horrendous violence was committed falsely in the name of god, we, representatives of the world religions, in this great city of new york, gather to offer words of comfort and prayer, with love and affection we recall the victims of the 9 11 attacks. We pray that their souls and the souls of all those First Responders are forever remembered for an eternal blessing. Today and every day may we understand our shared mission to be, in the words of pope francis, a Field Hospital after battle. To heal the wounds and warm the hearts of a humanity in so desperate need of comfort. Intolerance and ignorance fueled those who attacked this place. The courage of todays gathering distinguishes us from the opponents of religious freedom as we stand together as brothers and sisters to condemn their horrific acts of violence and honor each life that was lost unconditionally. As we read in the koran that one life lost is like all man kind and one life saved is like all man kind. To god, all life is sacred and precious. Where others fail, let us be the peaceful reminders of that notion to his creation. The book of psalms teaches us that we should love peace and we should pursue peace. Let us honor those killed in this place by becoming, in the words of saint francis, instruments of peace. Where there is hatred, let us so love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy. Men and women from all walks of life ran to this place in hopes of saving lives. The sole intent of those First Responders was the protection of others, regardless of the cost to them as individuals. As the worst of humanity sought to take life, they exemplified the best of humanity through their selflessness, willing to give their entire life in hopes of saving another, their story is one that each of us should Carry Forward with us both in thought and in action as we move forward from this place. The koran declares that allah is with those who are righteous and those who do good. Let us embody their unconditional love, their continued strength, their unwavering hope and their pursuit of good as we seek to build muchneeded peace. So let us learn to share this big apple we all call home through friendship and dialogue, may the timber and tonality of each of our faith traditions be heard in this great symphony of our city and nation. On this, the historic anniversary of it, let us celebrate, affirm and build on our shared commitment to interreligious dialogue. In