ROME (ITALPRESS) – “The 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Argentina and Chile was commemorated in recent days. With the mediation of the Holy See, it ended a territorial dispute that had brought Argentina and Chile to the brink of war. This shows that when we renounce the use of weapons and engage in dialogue, we are on a good path.” This was emphasized after the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square in Rome by Pope Francis, who added, “I rejoice at the ceasefire that has been reached in recent days in Lebanon and I hope that it can be respected by all parties, thus allowing the population of the regions affected by the conflict – both Lebanese and Israeli – to return home soon and safely, also with the invaluable help of the Lebanese army and the United Nations peacekeeping forces.” “In this situation,” the Holy Father continued, “I address an urgent call to all Lebanese politicians, so that a President of the Republic be elected immediately and the institutions regain their normal functioning, in order to proceed with the necessary reforms and ensure the country’s role as an example of peaceful coexistence between different religions. It is my hope that the glimmer of peace that has opened will lead to ceasefires on all other fronts, especially in Gaza. I am very concerned about the release of the Israelis who are still being held hostage and the access of humanitarian aid to the exhausted Palestinian population. And we pray for Syria, where unfortunately the war has flared up again causing many casualties. I am very close to the Church in Syria. “I express my concern, my sorrow, for the conflict that continues to bloody the martyred Ukraine,” he added. “We have been witnessing for almost two years a tremendous sequence of deaths, injuries, violence, destruction. Children, women, the elderly, the weak, are the first victims. War is a horror, war offends God and humanity, war spares no one, war is always a defeat, a defeat for all humanity! We think that winter is coming, and it threatens to exacerbate the conditions of millions of displaced people. These will be very difficult months for them. The combination of war and cold is tragic. I appeal once again to the international community and to every man and woman of good will to make every effort to stop this war and to make dialogue, fraternity and reconciliation prevail. Let there be multiplied, at every level, a renewed commitment. And as we prepare for Christmas, as we await the birth of the King of Peace, let these peoples be given concrete hope. The quest for peace is the responsibility not of a few, but of all. If habituation and indifference to the horrors of war prevail, all, the whole human family is defeated. The whole human family is defeated! Dear brothers and sisters, let us not tire of praying for that population so sorely tried and imploring from God the gift of peace,” he concluded, addressing a greeting “to the faithful of Rome and pilgrims who have come from Italy and various countries. In particular, I greet the groups from Barcelona, Murcia and Valencia – think of Valencia, how it is suffering! -, and from Gerovo in Croatia. I greet the faithful from Arco di Trento and those from Sciacca, and the Roman group of the Marian Ardent Youth. And I greet the young people of the Immaculata.”- Photo Agency Photogram -(ITALPRESS).
