Pope calls for an end to the “madness of war”, evoking deaths of young people in Ukraine

The Pope today called for an end to the “madness of war”, evoking the deaths of “so many young people” in the war in Ukraine.

“Let us pray to the Lord to give us the grace to overcome this madness of war, which is always a defeat”, he declared, at the end of the general audience he presided over in Saint Peter’s Square.

Francisco told the pilgrims that he had received, this morning, the rosary and a Gospel that belonged to a young soldier, killed at the front, with which he prayed during the conflict.

“So many young people, so many young people are going to die”, he lamented.

The Vatican news portal publishes an editorial today about the 11 years of the pontificate, criticizing the “deafening silence of diplomacy” and the “increasingly evident absence of political initiative and leadership capable of betting on peace”, in the face of conflicts in Ukraine and the Holy Land.

The text speaks of the Pope as a “lone voice” in the search for peace, highlighting that Francis “continues to plead to silence the weapons and invoke courage to favor paths of peace”.

“He continues to ask to keep the weapons quiet in the tragic conflict that broke out in the heart of Christian Europe, in Ukraine destroyed and martyred by the bombings of the Russian aggressor army”, indicates the editorial note, pointing the finger at “governors incapable of evaluating the consequences of their decisions that seem to surrender to the inevitability of war.”

This morning’s meeting at the Vatican began a series of reflections on virtues, in an atmosphere marked by expressions of affection and greetings to the Pope, on the 11th anniversary of his election.

“In these dramatic times of ours, when we are often confronted with the worst in the human person, it is necessary to rediscover the importance of cultivating in ourselves a habitual and firm disposition to do good”, indicated the greeting to Polish pilgrims.

Francisco, who traveled around St. Peter’s Square in an open car, greeting the crowd, explained that, due to the respiratory problems that have affected him in recent weeks, he would entrust the reading of the catechesis to a collaborator.

“I welcome you! I’m still a little cold, so I asked the monsignor to read the catechesis. Let’s be careful, I believe it will do us a lot of good,” he said.

The audience included a greeting to the Portuguese-speaking pilgrims: “May the Lord fill you with joy and the Holy Spirit enlighten the decisions of your life, so that you can faithfully carry out the will of the heavenly Father. Over all of you and your families and communities, the Most Holy Mother of the Church watches over you”.