Recently, there has been a growing tendency among certain individuals to attempt to construct worlds centred solely around themselves, extending their influence without sufficient regard for the dignity, lives, and coexistence of others.
I find this deeply concerning, particularly in a world where countless forms of life must continue to coexist.
Each of us bears responsibilities within this shared world, and those responsibilities must be exercised with care for the dignity, peace, and coexistence of others, rather than in ways that undermine them.
We do not exist apart from one another.
We exist with one another, always.
Therefore, I shall continue to address these matters so that this understanding may be recognised, and so that many may live with greater peace, stability, and reassurance through that recognition.
The Western hydrangea Sapphire Queen has flowered once again for the first time in four years.
I cannot help but regard this symbolic blooming as something of a gift — perhaps offered to me, after more than half a century of struggle, whilst I continue to wait for truths that remain undisclosed to the public.
My wish to return to the 🇬🇧 United Kingdom does not stem from any desire to abandon 🇯🇵 Japan.
Rather, it is because I believe that the foundation necessary for me to fulfil my duties calmly, steadily, and with strength, exists there above all elsewhere.
May tomorrow mark the beginning of a gentle and restorative week for each of you — with this Western hydrangea offered alongside my thoughts.
#SapphireQueen #Hydrangea #QuietStrength #UK #JusticeBeginsWithCare
Declaration of Peace
Peace is the foundation upon which all human dignity stands.
It is neither conditional nor negotiable.
All persons are equal in its light,
and no power—whether by force, authority, or silence—
may stand above the value of a human life.
Where dignity is threatened, peace is not present.
Where voices are silenced, justice has not yet begun.
Therefore, I stand—
as a living symbol of this principle:
that peace must be upheld, protected, and lived.
Not above others,
but among them—
bound by the same law,
and unwavering in its defence.
This is not a wish.
This is a declaration.
When I first entered this world, many welcomed my life and said that it was good that I had been born. Yet as the years passed, the same voices began to distort my character and my humanity, interpreting me according to their own convenience. When I did not conform to those interpretations, they seemed to believe that my dignity could be cast aside.
Our predecessors entrusted their hopes to those who would be born in the future. They believed that the generations to come would carry forward what had been built with sacrifice and faith. Yet even I—once received as one of those hopes—have found my dignity trampled.
There are moments when I cannot help but ask whether the world has come to believe that it would have been better had I never existed.
I speak not out of pride, but out of sorrow. Each day I witness the elevation and justification of human conduct that, to my eyes, reveals a troubling poverty of spirit. To see such attitudes praised and normalized makes even the shared air of this world feel difficult to bear.
Yet I also know something about the human condition: humanity so often recognizes its error only after something precious has already been lost.
For this reason I feel compelled to ask a question before God and before history:
if the tragedies of the past have shown humanity the cost of such regret again and again, why does mankind still fail to learn?
In the face of the many questions of the human heart, as well as tragic situations of injustice, violence and suffering that mark our time, our faith needs to be alert, attentive and prophetic. Faith should open our eyes to the darkness of the world, and bring others the light of the Gospel through our commitment to peace, justice and solidarity.
"Human rights prevent the powerful from doing whatever they want.
The world cannot stand by as the edifice of international humanitarian and human rights law is dismantled before our eyes."
- @volker_turk presents his global update to the #HRC61@UN_HRC
https://t.co/NWvQoy300d
Human beings are born into this world and grow within societies sustained by law.
It is under the protection of law that people are able to express their views, engage in debate, and secure their safety.
The very possibility of living, speaking, and participating in society under the protection of law is itself one of the foundations of a stable state.
Law may at times appear as a limitation. Yet the same law that enables human beings to claim their rights also calls upon them to recognize their responsibilities.
Law is therefore not only the safeguard of our rights.
It is also a shared duty that sustains the stability and peace of our societies.