Pope Francis affirmed, this Saturday, August 24 in the Vatican, that the world is tired of war and needs to renew the spirit of hope, especially to encourage young people.
This was indicated by the Holy Father when receiving the participants of the 15th meeting promoted by the International Catholic Legislators Networkwhich takes place in Frascati (Rome) from August 22 to 25, in which they reflect on the theme “The world at war: permanent crisis and conflicts: What does it mean for us?”
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“Our world, tired of war – it seems that it cannot live without war – needs to renew the spirit of hope that has led to the founding of the structures of cooperation and service of peace after the conclusion of the Second World War,” the Pope highlighted. Francis in the audience held in the Clementine Room of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.
“I would like to ask you, whose service to our brothers and sisters is inspired and sustained by that peace that the world cannot give, to be a testimony of hope, especially to the new generations” to work “for a better tomorrow.”
As indicated by the Vatican Press OfficePope Francis also specified that it is “imperative to renounce war as a means to resolve conflicts and establish justice,” since war “is truly a defeat.”
“Our consciences cannot help but be moved by the scenes of death and destruction that we have before our eyes every day. We need to hear the cry of the poor, widows and orphans that the Bible speaks of to see the abyss of evil that is at the heart of war and to decide with every possible means to choose peace.
The Holy Father also encouraged people to look for “every opportune and inopportune occasion” to seek peace, “through negotiation, mediation and arbitration.”
After recalling that the first root of the conflict “is a deeper conflict, present in the heart of man,” Pope Francis urged not to forget that “one cannot escape the conflict alone. No. He goes out with the others.”
Message from Pope Francis to the Alpbach European Forum
Pope Francis also addressed a message to the participants of the Alpbach European Forum, “a space that brings together young people from the old continent and from around the world, to share reflections and actions of leading thinkers and analysts in politics, business, civil society and culture”, according to Vatican News.
“In Europe, as a result of this populist ‘wave’, some ideals have disappeared and some principles, related to behavior towards the weakest members of society, have taken a backseat,” indicates the Holy Father.
The Pontiff then highlights that “with renewed motivations, we strive, as Christians, to contribute the richness of Catholic social doctrine with its claim to universality.”
“The European Union, since its foundation, has also had universalist features, and it is to be hoped that it does not lose them. (…) European societies are called to find the means to reduce polarization within themselves and remain open to the world around them.”
Walter Sanchez Silva
I have been a husband since 2008. My wife and I have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before he was born. Since I joined ACI Prensa in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Cologne, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and of Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the Family synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Synodality, in 2023. I closely follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers persecution from the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as current ecclesiastical events in the region.