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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "If habituation and indifference to the horrors of war prevail, the whole, entire human family is defeated. The whole human family is defeated!", said Pope Francis at the end of Sunday's Angelus prayer with the pilgrims and faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
In front of a St. Peter's Square filled with 15,000 faithful, the Pope, after recalling the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Argentina and Chile, mediated by the Holy See (see Fides, 25/11/2024), said he welcomed "the ceasefire that has been reached in recent days in Lebanon" and hoped "that it may be respected by all parties, thus enabling the population of the regions involved in the conflict – both Lebanese and Israeli – to return home soon and safely, also with the valuable help of the Lebanese army and the United Nations peacekeeping forces."
The Bishop of Rome then made "an urgent appeal" to all Lebanese politicians "so that the President of the Republic may be elected immediately and the institutions return to their normal functioning, so as to proceed to the necessary reforms and assure the country of its role as an example of peaceful coexistence between different religions".
The Pope also hopes "that the glimmer of peace that has appeared may lead to a ceasefire on all fronts, especially in Gaza. I very much have at heart the liberation of the Israelis who are still held hostage, and access to humanitarian aid for the stricken Palestinian population. And let us pray for Syria, where unfortunately war has flared up again, claiming many victims. I am very close to the Church in Syria," the Pope continued.
Finally, the Pope reiterated his concern and sadness over the conflict in Ukraine: "For almost three years we have witnessed a terrible sequence of deaths, injuries, violence, and destruction. Children, women, the elderly, and the weak are the first victims.
War is a horror, war is an affront to God and to humanity, war spares no-one, war is always a defeat, a defeat for the whole of humanity", added the Pope, inviting everyone to remember "that winter is around the corner, and risks exacerbating the conditions of millions of displaced persons. They will be extremely difficult months for them. The coincidence of war and the cold is tragic".
Hence a new appeal "to the international community and to every man and woman of good will, to make every effort to stop this war, and to make dialogue, fraternity and reconciliation prevail. Let there be a renewed commitment at every level. And as we prepare for Christmas, as we await the birth of the King of Peace, let these peoples be given concrete hope. The quest for peace is the responsibility not of a few, but of all. If habituation and indifference to the horrors of war prevail, the whole, entire human family is defeated. The whole human family is defeated. Dear brothers and sisters, let us not tire of praying for that population so sorely tried, and let us implore from God the gift of peace,” he concluded.
Before the blessing, in his commentary on the Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent (Lk 21:25-28, 34-36), he recalled how Jesus’ contemporaries were “filled with fear” because of “persecutions, conflicts and natural disasters.” “Their hearts are weighed down with fear.” But Jesus “wants to free them from present anxieties and false convictions, showing them how to stay awake in their hearts, how to read events from the plan of God, who works salvation even within the most dramatic events of history. That is why He suggests that they turn their gaze to Heaven to understand the things of earth.”
The same applies to people today: "If worries weigh down our hearts and induce us to close in on ourselves, Jesus, on the contrary, invites us to lift up our heads, to trust in His love that wants to save us and that draws close to us in every situation of our existence, He asks us to make room for Him in order to find hope again". "May this Advent season be a precious opportunity to lift our gaze to Him, who lightens our hearts and sustains us on our way," concluded the Pope. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 1/12/2024)
