Sunday morning, Pope Francis, in his weekly address at the Vatican, pleaded once again for peace in the Middle East and prayed for the victims of the Ebola outbreak. His speech comes days after Israel and Hamas
failed to maintain the latest cease-fire and as
Islamist militants continued their deadly tyranny against members of religious minorities.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The news reports coming from Iraq leave us in dismay and disbelief: thousands of people, including many Christians, driven from their homes in a brutal manner; children dying of thirst and hunger in their flight; women taken and carried off; violence every kind; destruction of historical, cultural and religious patrimonies. All this gravely offends God and humanity. Hatred is not to be carried in the name of God! War is not to be waged in the name of God!
I thank those who, with courage, are bringing succour to these brothers and sisters, and I am confident that an effective political solution on both the international and the local levels may be found to stop these crimes and re-establish the [rule of] law. In order better to ensure those dear suffering populations of my closeness to them, I have named [Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples] Cardinal Fernando Filoni as my Personal Envoy in Iraq, who shall depart from Rome tomorrow [Monday].
In Gaza, also: after a truce, war has once again resumed – a war that cuts down innocent victims and does nothing but worsen the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Let us pray together the God of peace, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary: Grant us peace, O Lord, in our days, and render us artificers justice and peace.
We also pray for the victims of the Ebola virus and for those who are fighting to stop it.
In his speech, Pope Francis also announced he would be making a trip to Korea during the upcoming week, and asked the crowd to accompany him with prayer.
He's a man who uses his position of power to promote peace. He uses his means to care for the poor, the sick, and the suffering. And he uses his voice to condemn war, injustice, greed, and evil - while leaving just enough hope to believe we can all do better. Pope Francis continues to be a light in this world. I sure hope he stays awhile.
(From archive of Vatican Radio)
Photo: Jeffrey Bruno