from the prayers of the faithful. he said even those who are not catholic we ask for your good wishes. wishes. trying to recruit not just americans, but really the world on to the shared effort to make a difference. >> and peter, there's also a huge issue, issue of refugees. i interrupt myself to tell you i think we have the translation, so let's listen in. >> universalist ideologies is capable of perpetrating tremendous atrocities. i can only reiterate the appreciation expressed by my predecessors, in reaffirming the importance which the catholic church attaches to this institution and the hope which she places in its activities. the united nations is presently

celebrating its seventieth anniversary. the history of this organized is one of important common achievements over a period of unusually fast paced changes. without claiming to be exhaustive, we can mention the codification and development of international law, the establishment of international norms regarding human rights, advances in humanitarian law, the resolution of numerous conflicts, operations of peace-keeping and reconciliation, and any number of other accomplishments in

every area of international activity and endeavor. all these achievements are lights which help to dispel the darkness of the disorder caused by unrestrained ambitions and collective forms of selfishness. certainly, many grave problems remain to be resolved, yet it is clear that, without all those interventions on the international level, mankind would not have been able to survive the unchecked use of its own possibilities. every one of these political, juridical and technical advances is a path towards attaining the

ideal of human fraternity and a means for its greater realization. for this reason i pay homage to all those men and women whose loyalty and self-sacrifice have benefitted humanity as a whole in these past 70 years. in particular, i would recall today those who gave their lives for peace and reconciliation among peoples, from dag hammarskjöld to the many united nations officials at every level who have been killed in the course of humanitarian missions, and missions of peace and

reconciliation. the experience of the past 70 years beyond all these achievements have made it clear that reform and adaptation to the times is always necessary in the pursuit of the ultimate goal of granting all countries, without exception, a share in, and a genuine and equitable influence on, decision-making processes. the need for greater equity is especially true in the case of those bodies with effective executive capability, such as the security council, the financial agencies and the groups or mechanisms

specifically created to deal with economic crises. this will help limit every kind of abuse or usury, especially where developing countries are concerned. the international financial agencies should care for the sustainable development of countries and should ensure that they are not subjected to oppressive lending systems which -- so the international financial agencies should care

for the sustainable development of countries and should ensure that they are not subjective to oppressive lending systems which far from promoting progress, subject people to mechanisms which generate greater poverty, exclusion and dependence. the work of the united nations, according to the principles set forth in the preamble and the first articles of its founding charter, can be seen as the development and promotion of the rule of law, based on the realization that justice is an essential condition for achieving the ideal of universal fraternity.

in this context, it is helpful to recall that the limitation of power is an idea implicit in the concept of law itself. to give to each his own, to cite the classic definition of justice, means that no human individual or group can consider itself absolute, permitted to bypass the dignity and the rights of other individuals or their social groupings. the effective distribution of power -- political, economic,

defense-related, technological, et cetera -- among a plurality of subjects, and the creation of a juridical system for regulating claims and interests, are one concrete way of limiting power. yet today's world presents us with many false rights and at the same time broad sectors which are vulnerable, victims of power that is badly exercised. the natural environment and the vast ranks of the excluded. these sectors are closely interconnected and made increasingly fragile by dominant political and economic

relationships. that is why their rights must be forcefully affirmed, by working to protect the environment and by putting an end to exclusion. first, it must be stated that a true "right of the environment" does exist, for two reasons. first, because we human beings are part of the environment. we live in communion with it, since the environment itself entails ethical limits which human activity must acknowledge and respect. man, for all his remarkable

gifts, which "are signs of a uniqueness which transcends the spheres of physics and biology," is at the same time a part of these spheres. he possesses a body shaped by physical, chemical and biological elements, and can only survive and develop if the ecological environment is favorable. any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity. second, because every creature, particularly a living creature, has an intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its beauty and its interdependence with

other creatures. we christians, together with the other monotheistic religions, believe that the universe is the fruit of a loving decision by the creator, who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the creator. he is not authorized to abuse it, much less is he authorized to destroy it. in all religions, the environment is a fundamental good. the misuse and destruction of the environment are also

accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion. in effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged, either because they are differently abled, or because they lack adequate information and technical expertise, or are incapable of decisive political action. economic and social exclusion is

a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offense against human rights and the environment. the poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses, for three serious reasons, they are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the consequences of the abuse of the environment. these phenomena are part of today's widespread and quietly

growing culture of waste. the dramatic reality this whole situation of exclusion and inequality, with its evident effects, has led me, in union with the entire christian people and many others, to take stock also of my grave responsibility in this regard and to speak out, together with all those who are seeking urgently needed and effective solutions. the adoption of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development at the world summit, which opens today, is an important sign of hope. i am similarly confident that

the paris conference on climatic change will secure fundamental and effective agreements. solemn commitments, however, are not enough, even though they are a necessary step toward solutions. the classic definition of justice which i mentioned earlier contains as one of its essential elements a constant and perpetual will -- iustitia est constans et perpetua voluntas ius sum cuique tribuendi.

our world demands of all government leaders a will which is effective, practical and constant, concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the natural environment and thus putting an end as quickly as possible to the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion, with its baneful consequences of human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, slave labor, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism and

international organized crime. such is the magnitude of these situations and their toll in innocent lives, that we must avoid every temptation to fall into a declarationist nominalism which would assuage our consciences. we need to ensure that our institutions are truly effective in the struggle against all these scourges. the number and complexity of the problems require that we possess technical instruments of verification.

but this involves two risks. we can rest content with the bureaucratic exercise of drawing up long lists of good proposals -- goals, objectives and statistical indicators -- or we can think that a single theoretical and aprioristic solution will provide an answer to all the challenges. it must never be forgotten that political and economic activity is only effective when it is understood as a prudential activity, guided by a perennial concept of justice and constantly conscious of the fact

that, above and beyond our plans and programs, we are dealing with real men and women who live, struggle and suffer, and are often forced to live in great poverty, deprived of all rights. 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, nations. this presupposes the right to education, also for girls, who are excluded in some places. 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. 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 names -- lodging, labor, and land. and one spiritual name, spiritual freedom, which includes religious freedom, the right to education and all other civil rights. 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, which is the right to life and, more generally, what we could call the right to existence of human nature itself. the ecological crisis, together with the large-scale destruction

of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species. the baneful consequences of an irresponsible mismanagement of the global economy, guided only by 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 the absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions. 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 "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 people's identity and, in the

end, are irresponsible. 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. 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 pandora's 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 distraction, such as nuclear weapons. an ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction,

and possibly the destruction of all mankind, are self-contradictory and an affront to the entire framework of the united nations, which would end up as "nations united by fear and distrust." there is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the non-proliferation treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons. 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. 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 to 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. 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 secretary-general of the united nations on 9 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. along the same lines, 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.

i began this speech recalling the visits of my predecessors. i would hope that my words will be taken above all as a continuation of the final words of the address of pope paul vi, although 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. and 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, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of one or other statistic. 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 transendense and at the same time rejects the creation of an all powerful 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 of shedding light on it."

el gaucho martin fierro, a classic of literature in my native land, sings "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, you'll be devoured by those outside." 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 ] >> pope francis, as his predecessors have done, addressing the united nations general assembly, as he calls them to remember their come to humanity and responsibility to service and to serve those they are elected to take care of. i want to go to peter alexander, our national correspondent, who's been listening along with us to the pope's address. we heard some of those same themes, we talked about immigrants, we heard about the environment. i also thought i heard, peter, a gentle prodding of this body, the united nations, to say

remember your charter, remember your founding documents and live up to those words. >> i think that's right, recognize this is the 70th anniversary of the united nations. that's why there are so many world leaders here on this occasion. he commended the u.n. for all the good work it has done, but also encouraged it to keep going. saying there's so much more that needs to be done. you talked about that common humanity, he refers to the environment throughout the speech, he said the right of the environment, man is not authorized to abuse earth. that was a central theme, as well. savannah? >> well, we heard him loud and clear and he has a busy day ahead of him. he will meet with families at the 9/11 memorial and museum. later he will have a procession through central park and a mass at madison square garden tonight, but at the moment he remains at the united nations general assembly. once again, this pope addressing world leaders.

gentle in approach, but certainly firm in his convictions and we'll continue to carry the pope's activities live here on nbc. we have another big political story breaking this morning. bit of an earthquake as speaker john boehner unexpectedly announced he is stepping down from the congress. he'll do so at the end of october and is giving up his seat and coveted leadership post. chuck todd is our political director at the white house this morning. chuck, in some sense this came out of nowhere, but at the same time anyone who watches politics as closely as you do knows this was somewhat understandable given the situation he's in right now. >> yeah, this had been actually brewing the last couple of months. about two months ago there was a conservative member of congress who actually introduced legislation that's called a motion to vacate the chair, which means a motion to remove john boehner as speaker of the house. he claimed to have just enough

republican votes to guarantee john boehner would have needed democratic votes to survive this vote to vacate the chair. the question is, what are conservatives upset at? they were upset speaker boehner would not fight president obama and democrats hard enough, whether on the iran deal, they didn't like how he sort of caved early, they believe, they were upset with the plan that he had going forward to fund the government. facing a potential government shutdown october 1st. there's a big fight over the planned parenthood tapes that have a lot of conservatives in the house of representatives in particular, but a lot of conservatives around the country upset and they'd like to see republicans use every tool necessary to confront the president and confront democrats, but the leadership, mitch mcconnell and john boehner didn't want to do that. they knew the president would veto it and only hurt the republicans, but the fact is, there were enough conservatives who said they were tired of hearing that. john boehner made the decision

get out now, he put the party ahead of himself, because it would have been a protracted fight, probably would have put the republican party in a bad light for the public, so this will postpone, we won't have a government shutdown now, but i think we'll have a messy fight that we've seen the last four years, frankly, of who runs the republican party, the establishment or the grassroots conservative base. >> presidential election right now, chuck, i know you'll continue to watch it closely and have much more as we continue on. john boehner, first elected in 1990 representing the 8th district in ohio, elected to the speakership in 2011. now leaving the house of representatives somewhat unexpectedly on the heels of a big victory for him personally and professionally, pope francis' visit to the congress yesterday. a lot more coverage. many return to the "today" show, for others our coverage eyes,

first thing that i checked out is the butt. >> and you said, smile. >> and we asked heidi, what is your most annoying habit, and what do you think that she said? >> just one? not take the out the trash. >> and the answer is -- not taking out the trash. >> what is her favorite kind of meat? >> ooh, i would say she likes to stay on the healthy side so much like a fish, maybe a white fish. >> yes. fis fish. >> i will read you three clues and you will give me an answer which is a broadway show. first clue, baby daddy. three best friends, dancing queen -- >> oh, oh. mamma mia. >> and we will play pick shun na. and that is not how it works. >> no, no sh, we totally killed. >> oh, okay. you will guess whose line the o movie is from, okay? >> and we have a super long and intense conversations about religion and snowboarding. that is you in "sex tape."

>> and what does that say, read it. >> okay. the question is, how would beverly hills 90210 handle sharknado? with designer luggage and a valet. how else. i would be a referee between you two. okay. and this better be good. >> top of the chrysler building -- >> annie. >> i played ms. hanigan at the garden. >> and her favorite junk food, chicago's deep dish pizza. >> you win. >> what good is it being appreciated if nobody is naked? >> that is me in "27 dresses." >> and this is junk food -- kentucky fried chicken. >> no! >> east coast. >> oh, gosh. it is a sornng, right? >> yes. "baby got back."

>> and what is the favorite body part on you? my eyes. >> oh, take out the trash. >> baby, take out the trash. >> "american in paris." >> no, it is "les mis." >> there is a revolution. >> and where is the first date? >> we call it "the bachelor." >> hold it up. >> wa what! >> "cry me a river." >> good job. >> "cry me a river." >> what is the best friend's drink? >> what is it? >> we have to do it with the thumb, fling time. >> "producers." >> no! >> here we go. >> sorry, sorry. >> and foul, foul! >> she grabbed the left breast. >> what is the craziest and the most spontaneous thing that you did together? >> we went skydiving with my old man. >> skydiving.

you won. >> we won. >> we won. >> we won. >> we got it right. >> and that is so weird. >> come on, i won. >> no, no no! >> hoda, the light. no! >> you know, hoda and i really like about the games the prizs.s we like the prizes. >> that is right, nothing like a good broom or i loved that watermelon. >> and we will be back with more today on nbc. let's play again. >> okay.

all right. that is going to do it for us on this special celebrity game show edition. and now we can't wait to see you monday. >> we will have elizabeth hurry. >> and james spader and nicky

reed -- >> and why are all of those people coming n with us? >> and lou manfredini and he has a name that rhymes with -- >> you will have to wait. have a great weekend, everybody. bye-bye.

[ applause ] right now at 11:00, applause for pope francis as he becomes the fourth different pope to address the united nations general assembly as he praised members of the organization for their efforts in the service of mankind. the pope's next stop, ground zero. within the hour, he will visit the 9/11 memorial where he will take part in a multifaith event. meanwhile, back here in our area, heavy cement barricades were lowered into place in center city as philadelphia prepares for the influx of huge crowds for the papal visit. good morning,