Pope Francis: All humanity needs the good news of peace

Pope Francis has assured that “all humanity, today more than ever, needs the good news of peace” in a message addressed to the members of an initiative that encourages praying the rosary for Christians who have been persecuted for 10 years.

As detailed Vatican News, The Pontiff addressed words of gratitude in a message addressed to the Committee for Persecuted Christians Nazareth, an initiative born on the occasion of the Islamic invasion of the Nineveh plain in Iraq in 2014.

Started in Rimini, today it spreads to more than a dozen cities inside and outside Italy and its annual convocation every August 20 is also joined by almost thirty monastic communities.

“Thank you for your testimony of kind charity, closeness and, above all, union with the pain of people wounded by injustice, oppression, hatred and greed. All humanity, today more than ever, needs the good news of peace, and every Christian is called to announce and share it,” the Pontiff expressed.

Pope Francis has also expressed his wish that “those who adhere to the initiative continue to promote a culture of respect for all, welcome and inclusive fraternity” with the help of Mary.

For his part, the Syro-Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Youssef III Younan, has welcomed the 10 years of the initiative, calling it a “courageous encounter.” In a message, he described as “criminal uprooting” the exodus suffered by Catholics in the area after the offensive of the fundamentalist group called Islamic State, also known as Daesh.

In another communication to the Committee for Persecuted Christians, the parish priest of the Latin community of Aleppo (Syria), the Franciscan friar Bahjat Karakach, described the situation after 13 years of civil war in the country: “Today, dark shadows loom over this region. clouds of war, violence and destruction, illegitimate occupation and forms of religious extremism”, in the face of the “indifferent or complicit silence of many, especially those who have the power to do something and do not do it.”

Given the situation, Father Karakach values ​​very positively the gesture of prayer that will take place on the 20th: “It is a precious gift for us, who often feel forgotten by the world, to have supportive people like you who think of us and they give themselves to help us.”

In addition to calling for prayer each year, the Committee for Persecuted Christians carries out fundraising campaigns that have helped Christian families in Syria and Iraq.