“Peace and harmony are never won once and for all. On the contrary, they are a duty and a mission.” Thus spoke Pope Francis as he met with authorities and the civil society at the Castle of Laeken, the official residence of the King of Belgium, on the occasion of his Apostolic Journey to what he described as a “bridge” country in Europe as well as the “beating heart” of its “enormous organism.”

“Concord and peace are a task and a mission,” the Holy Father explained on the second stop of his Apostolic Journey in Brussels, following his visit to Luxembourg: “One that needs to be undertaken unceasingly, with great care and patience. For when human beings forget the memory of the past and its valuable lessons, they run the dangerous risk of once again falling backwards, even after having moved on, forgetting the suffering and appalling costs paid by previous generations,” Francis told the nearly 300 representatives of political and religious authorities, businesspeople, and civil society and culture. “Human beings forget the past, but it is curious as there are other forces, both in society and in individuals, that make us fall repeatedly into the same mistakes.”

According to the Pope, “Belgium is more essential than ever for keeping alive the memory of the European continent. Indeed, it provides an irrefutable argument for developing a timely and continuous cultural, social and political movement that, at the same time, is both courageous and prudent. A movement that excludes from the future the idea and practice of war as a viable option with all its catastrophic consequences.”

“History,” Francis continued, “is the often unheeded magistra vitae and Belgium’s history calls Europe to return to its path, rediscover its true identity, and invest once again in the future by opening itself to life and hope by overcoming the demographic winter and the torments of war! These are the two calamities we face right now. We are seeing the nightmare of war, which can still turn into a world war. And the demographic winter.”

Circumstances in which “the Catholic Church wishes to be a presence offering individuals, families, societies and nations a hope both ancient and ever new. A presence helping everyone to face challenges and difficulties, not with frivolous enthusiasm or bleak pessimism, but with the certainty that humanity, loved by God, is not destined to collapse into nothingness, but is eternally called to goodness and peace.”

Read the full address on vatican.va

Read all of Pope Francis' addresses during his Apostolic Journey to Luxembourg and Belgium