(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has called for a day of fasting and prayer for peace
in Syria, in the entire Mideast region, and throughout the whole world to be held
this coming Saturday, September 7th, 2013. The Pope made the announcement during the
course of remarks ahead of the traditional Angelus prayer this Sunday. Below, please
find the full text of the Holy Father's Angelus appeal.
*******************************************
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!