Pope Francis yesterday called on Catholics to pray and do penance for the peaceful resolution of global conflicts, saying people are born into the world to help communities thrive, not to kill. Source: CNS.
“Please let’s pray for peace, let’s do penance for peace,” he said during his general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall, launching an appeal for Catholics to ask for a peaceful resolution to the world’s conflicts.
Reflecting on the many countries at war, such as Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, North Kivu in Congo and South Sudan, the Pope said, “Let’s pray for peace, let’s do our all for peace. Don’t forget that war is always a defeat.”
“We are not born to kill but to help people thrive. May we find paths of peace, please in your daily prayers, ask for peace,” he said.
The Pope made his appeal for peace himself and read his prepared greetings to Italian visitors as well as the short summary of his catechesis in Spanish, but his breathing sounded laboured and congested.
The Pope had an aide, Msgr Pierluigi Giroli, read his main talk and greetings to different language groups in Italian.
He apologised for not delivering the main talk himself, saying it was “because I still can’t with my bronchitis. I hope next time I can”.
In his prepared text, the Pope focused on the birth of Jesus, the messianic king, in a humble stable.
“The Son of God is not born in a royal palace, but at the back of a house, in the space where the animals are kept,” the text said. “God does not come into the world with resounding proclamations; he does not manifest himself with noise but begins his journey in humility.”
This is the humility of “a God who comes into history and does not dismantle the structures of the world but wants to illuminate them and recreate them from within,” the Pope’s text said.
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Pray, do penance, do everything possible for peace, Pope says at audience (By Carol Glatz, CNS)
