Pope Francis called on Sunday, December 25 to ” silence the guns ” in Ukraine, in the grip of a ” senseless war “, and in the world during his traditional Christmas message to the Vatican during which he again evoked the “ world war three “. He also mentioned the demonstrations in Iran, a first.
With our correspondent in Rome, Cyprien Viet
Denouncing a ” senseless war “, Pope Francis called to look the face of Ukrainians ” who live this Christmas in the dark, in the cold or far from home, because of the destruction caused by ten months of war “, He was saddened in front of 70,000 faithful massed in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, some of whom were waving Ukrainian flags.
” May the Lord make us ready for concrete gestures of solidarity to help those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the guns and put an immediate end to this senseless war! “, added the sovereign pontiff, who tirelessly pleads for peace since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia at the end of February.
” World War III »
The head of the Catholic Church also mentioned the “other theaters of conflict in the world. He cited ten countries affected by violence or tension, which he described as ” other theaters of this Third World War ” thinking in particular of “ Syria, still martyred by a conflict that has faded into the background, but is not over “.
Our time also knows conflicts in Syria, in the Holy Land, in Lebanon, in the Sahel, in Yemen… May the Lord direct these regions towards the #peace and bring reconciliation to the Americas, Burma and Iran, so that all bloodshed ceases.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_fr) December 25, 2022
He called for ” dialogue and the search for mutual trust between Israelis and Palestinians can resume ” and that Lebanon can recoverwith the support of the international community.
Do not use food as a ” war weapon »
Relatively discreet since the beginning of the protests in Iranthe pope also called for “ stop all bloodshed in the Islamic Republic.
He also mentioned ” the Sahel region where the peaceful coexistence of peoples and traditions is broken by clashes and violence “.
Francis also denounced the use of food shortages as a ” war weapon noting that the conflict in Ukraine has further aggravated the situation, leaving entire populations at risk of starvation, particularly in Afghanistan and the countries of the Horn of Africa » before adding that « other wars, we know, cause hunger and use food itself as a weapon by preventing its distribution to already suffering populations. »
► Read also: Food crisis in the Horn of Africa: “We must be alarmed by the drought affecting the region”