VATICAN CITY: Decrying the suffering in Syria, Pope Francis on Sunday wished Christmas peace and hope for all those scarred by war and terrorism, which he said is sowing “fear and death in the heart of many countries and cities.”
Some 40,000 tourists and Romans calmly endured long security lines to enter St. Peter’s Square to see the pope on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he delivered the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and To the World“) Christmas message.
The leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics spoke sorrowfully of the suffering caused by the Syrian war, especially in Aleppo, pressing the international community to help negotiate a solution.
He called for guns to fall silent in Syria, saying “far too much blood has been spilled” in the nearly six-year conflict which has also contributed to mass migration and homelessness.
“It is time for weapons to be still forever (in Syria), and the international community to actively seek a negotiated solution, so that civil coexistence can be restored in the country,” he said.
“Today this message (of peace) goes out to the ends of the earth to reach all peoples, especially those scarred by war and harsh conflicts that seem stronger than the yearning for peace,” he said, speaking in Italian from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
He urged Israelis and Palestinians to “write a new page of history, where hate and revenge give way” toward building a future of understanding and harmony.
Francis, the first Latin American pope, said Christmas should inspire everyone to help the less fortunate, including migrants, refugees and those swept up by social and economic upheavals.
“Peace to the peoples who suffer because of the economic ambitions of the few, because of the sheer greed and the idolatry of money, which leads to slavery,” he said.
He also cited the “brutality of terrorism” in Iraq, Libya and Yemen.
In Nigeria, the pope lamented, “fundamentalist terrorism exploits even children,” a reference to child suicide bombers. He expressed hope that dialogue would prevail over “the mindset of conflict” in both South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Peace to all those who have been injured or have suffered the loss of a loved one due to the brutal acts of terrorism that have sown fear and death in the heart of many countries and cities,” the pope said.
He expressed concern over tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and over Myanmar, which he said should “consolidate efforts to promote peaceful coexistence.”
He has also demanded that Europe in particular do more to welcome refugees.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury who is the spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, said 2016 had left the world less stable.
“The end of 2016 finds us all in a different kind of world; one less predictable and certain, which feels more awash with fear and division,” he said.
— WITH INPUT FROM AP, AFP, REUTERS
Pope expresses sorrow at human suffering in Syria
Pope expresses sorrow at human suffering in Syria
