Pope invites all to join prayer for peace in Syria, world
September 02, 2013 - Pope Francis on Sunday invited people of all faiths to join
him and the world's Catholics in a day of prayer and fasting on Sept. 7 to end the
conflict in Syria. Addressing tens of thousands of people in Rome’s St. Peter's
Square, prior to the midday ‘Angelus’ prayer, he issued a long, impassioned appeal
for peace in Syria and across the Middle East, saying God and history would be the
judge of those who promote violence or prevent peace. “Today, I would like to voice
the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from
every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family which is humanity,”
the Pope said. “It is the cry for peace! It is a cry which declares with force: we
want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace, and we want in our society,
torn apart by divisions and conflict, that peace break out!” “War never again! Never
again war! Peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected,” the Pope
urged. He also vehemently condemned the use of chemical weapons on civilians in Damascus.
The United States and France are pressing for military action against the regime of
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in response to the chemical attack but Francis urged
the international community to make every effort to bring about peace based on "dialogue
and negotiations". "Violence never leads to peace, war leads to war, violence leads
to violence," he said. Pope Francis invited Catholics, other Christians, those of
other faiths and non-believers who are `'men of good will'' to join him Saturday evening,
7 pm until midnight, in St. Peter's Square to invoke the `'gift'' of peace for Syria,
the rest of the Middle East and worldwide where there is conflict. ``The world needs
to see gestures of peace and hear words of hope and of peace,'' the Pope said. The
Holy Father followed up his Sunday appeal with a tweet on Monday on the same theme:
“We want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace.” Below is the
full text of the Pope’s peace appeal during Sunday’s ‘Angelus’ prayer: Dear Brothers
and Sisters, Hello! Today, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to make add my voice
to the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from
every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family which is humanity:
it is the cry for peace! It is a cry which declares with force: we want a peaceful
world, we want to be men and women of peace, and we want in our society, torn apart
by divisions and conflict, that peace break out! War never again! Never again war!
Peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected. There are so many
conflicts in this world which cause me great suffering and worry, but in these days
my heart is deeply wounded in particular by what is happening in Syria and anguished
by the dramatic developments which are looming. I appeal strongly for peace, an appeal
which arises from the deep within me. How much suffering, how much devastation, how
much pain has the use of arms carried in its wake in that martyred country, especially
among civilians and the unarmed! I think of many children will not see the light of
the future! With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical weapons: I tell you
that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart. There
is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions which are inescapable! Never
has the use of violence brought peace in its wake. War begets war, violence begets
violence. With all my strength, I ask each party in this conflict to listen to
the voice of their own conscience, not to close themselves in solely on their own
interests, but rather to look at each other as brothers and decisively and courageously
to follow the path of encounter and negotiation, and so overcome blind conflict. With
similar vigour I exhort the international community to make every effort to promote
clear proposals for peace in that country without further delay, a peace based on
dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire Syrian people. May no effort
be spared in guaranteeing humanitarian assistance to those wounded by this terrible
conflict, in particular those forced to flee and the many refugees in nearby countries.
May humanitarian workers, charged with the task of alleviating the sufferings of these
people, be granted access so as to provide the necessary aid. What can we do to
make peace in the world? As Pope John said, it pertains to each individual to establish
new relationships in human society under the mastery and guidance of justice and love
(cf. John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, [11 April 1963]: AAS 55, [1963], 301-302). All men
and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. I make a forceful
and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other
confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters
who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs
all of humanity! I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of confrontation
nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather
a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace. May
the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down
their weapons and be let themselves be led by the desire for peace. To this end,
brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September
next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer
for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each
person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men
of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative. On 7 September,
in Saint Peter’s Square, here, from 19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer and
in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great gift of peace upon the beloved nation
of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the world. Humanity
needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace! I ask all
the local churches, in addition to fasting, that they gather to pray for this intention. Let
us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power
of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace;
all of us are her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment
and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture
of encounter and peace. Mat, Queen of Peace, pray for us!