Are these just words?

Man is a narrative being, poised between good and evil...

There's a beautiful quote by Pope Francis, written on the occasion of World Communications Day a few years ago. "Man is a narrative being; he needs to tell his story, to 'clothe' himself with stories to preserve his life. Man is a being in flux, discovering and enriching himself through the threads of his days. But, from the very beginning, our narrative has been threatened: evil creeps through history."

And evil sometimes comes precisely from the use of words. Because words can be stones, they can shape life, or they can be empty boxes that each person can fill according to their needs at the moment.
Our civilization grew and was nourished by the written and spoken word, today paradoxically weakened by a thousand solicitations, be they images, videos, or social media notifications.

And yet, words are all we have left to communicate with the world and with ourselves. Words are a necessity: they can be a cry, a whisper, sometimes even silence. They can express joy, pain, tenderness.
But also the exact opposite.
We must be aware of this and rediscover the responsibility of our words, starting first and foremost by saying only what we truly believe, because today's world doesn't need empty speeches or double-worded words. We need to realign our heart, mind, and content, having the courage to break away from the instrumental use of what we say.

Let's be honest: to what extent are our words truly instruments of dialogue and encounter? To what extent do they express the desire for closeness, our ability to truly feel we're on the same boat? Very often, our words are walls, defenses, the arsenal that strengthens our tribe, our identity, our sense of belonging. Words that point, words that judge, words that separate. And it matters little if a judgment can also be a death sentence.
Everything can be sacrificed on the altar of principles, of unshakeable convictions, of incontrovertible truths, be they those of a political ideology, a religious belief, a cultural stance. We should learn from children, from their crystalline words, so connected to the heart and desires.
Capable of conflict, yet also of peace, of immediate reconciliation. If we do this, life too will speak. And they won't be just words...

Matteo Spicuglia
NP December 2026