Pope Francis called for an end to all wars

Pope Francis /Photo source: Reuters
Catholic believers celebrate the Resurrection. During the homily read in front of more than 8,000 people, Pope Francis also spoke about the bitterness, disappointment, and disillusionment that people are facing today. He called for an end to wars. Pope Francis brought the Roman Catholic faithful to the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. At the same time, he wanted to appeal again, this time from Saint Peter’s Basilica, for the end of all wars and other injustices. “We can feel helpless and discouraged in the face of the power of evil, the conflicts that tear apart relationships, the attitudes of calculation and indifference that seem to prevail in society, the cancer of corruption, the spread of injustice, and the frozen gusts of war,” said the pontiff. During the call for an end to the wars, the Pope made particular reference to the war in Ukraine and called the Ukrainians “martyrs”.
In an article that Amnesty International published on data and statistics on gun use between 2012 and 2016, it reveals a sample of what results from a culture of violence: for example, more than 500 people die every day from gun violence and an average of 2000 are injured; in addition, 44 percent of homicides in the world are committed with firearms.
This is directly related to the arms industry: 8 million handguns are produced each year, along with 15 billion rounds of ammunition. And as far as armed conflict is concerned, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) anticipated that the outlook for 2023 does not appear to be encouraging: new confrontations, in particular the Russian invasion of Ukraine and outbreaks in Asia, have been added to ongoing conflicts and armed struggles in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, among others. The only possible way to stop this onslaught is to seek and implement, at the local and international level, ways of real dialogue and to assume “nonviolence” as “a guide for our actions”.
This message echoes what Pope John XXIII said 60 years ago: “Violence has never done anything but destroy, not edify; inflame passions, not calm them; accumulate hatred and debris, not fraternize the contenders, and has precipitated men and parties to the hard need to rebuild slowly, after painful trials, on the wreckage of discord”.
Pope Francis baptized eight adult converts to Catholicism during the Easter Vigil. Although he did not take part in the outdoor service that took place on Good Friday, the sovereign pontiff appeared to be feeling well. The sovereign pontiff concludes the Holy Week celebrations on Sunday by holding a service on Easter Day in St. Peter’s Square, after which he will deliver the famous blessing and the biannual message “Urbi et Orbi”.
By Sara Colin