Pope Francis assured his closeness and prayer for peace in the world this December 1, the first Sunday of Advent, denouncing that “war is a horror, war offends God and humanity.”
40 years of peace treaty between Argentina and Chile
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In his words after praying the Angelus, the Pope recalled the recent commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Argentina and Chilewhich “put an end to a territorial dispute that had brought Argentina and Chile to the brink of war.”
“This shows that, when the use of weapons is renounced and there is dialogue, a good path is taken,” he highlighted.
Joy for the ceasefire in Lebanon
Next, the Pontiff expressed his joy “for the ceasefire reached a few days ago in Lebanon and the hope that it can be respected by all parties, allowing the populations of the regions affected by the conflict—whether Lebanese or Israeli— return to their homes soon and safely, also with the precious help of the Lebanese army and the United Nations peacekeepers.”
“In this situation, I address an invitation to all Lebanese politicians, so that the President of the Republic is immediately elected and the institutions resume their normal functioning, to proceed with the necessary reforms and assure the Country of its role as an example of peaceful coexistence between the different religions.”
The Pope assured that it is his hope “that the spiral of peace that has opened can lead to a ceasefire on all other fronts, especially in Gaza.”
“I carry in my heart the release of the Israelis who are still held hostage, and the access of humanitarian aid to the exhausted Palestinian population,” he added.
“Let us pray for Syria”
He then also asked all the faithful to “pray for Syria, where unfortunately the war has reignited, causing many victims,” referring to the news of a new attack by Syrian rebels against the government of Bashar al-Assad, president of Syria, November 27.
“I am very close to the Church in Syria. Let’s pray!” he encouraged.
Ukraine: Three years “of deaths, injuries, violence, destruction”
The Pope also expressed “my concern, my pain, for the conflict that continues to bloody the martyred Ukraine.”
“For three years we have witnessed a terrible sequence of deaths, injuries, violence, destruction… Children, women, the elderly, the weak, are the first victims,” he lamented.
The Holy Father assured that “war is a horror, war offends God and humanity, war does not save anyone, war is always a defeat, a defeat for all of humanity.”
Recalling that in the northern hemisphere “winter is at the door, and threatens to worsen the conditions of millions of displaced people,” the Pope noted that in Ukraine “they will be very hard months for them. The concomitance of war and cold is tragic.”
“I address, once again, my appeal to the international community, and to all men and women of good will, to make every effort to stop this war, and to make dialogue, fraternity, and reconciliation prevail. May a renewed commitment be multiplied at all levels,” he encouraged, in such a way that “as we prepare for Christmas, while we wait for the birth of the King of Peace, concrete hope is given to these populations.”
“The search for peace is a responsibility not of a few, but of all. If indifference to the horrors of war prevails, the entire human family is defeated. The entire human family is defeated. Dear brothers and sisters, let us not tire of praying for that population so severely tested and of imploring God for the gift of peace,” he asked.
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.