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Pope at Angelus: Appeal for CAR peace mission and end to madness of war

Pope at Angelus: Appeal for CAR peace mission and end to madness of war

(Vatican Radio) “We have yet to learn the lesson from the madness of war”, lamented Pope Francis Sunday as he launched two appeals following the midday Angelus prayer with faithful and tourists in St Peter’s Square.

The Holy Father has asked people for prayers for the UN peace mission which is set to begin its work in the war-torn Central African Republic tomorrow, and returning to his visit Saturday to a WWI monumental shrine in Northern Italy, he renewed his appeal for an end to the madness of war.

Appeals following the Angelus Prayer

Dear brothers and sisters,
tomorrow, the mission ordered by the Security Council of the United Nations will officially begin in the Central African Republic, to promote peace in the country and protect the civilian population, which is seriously suffering the consequences of the ongoing conflict. While I assure the commitment and prayer of the Catholic Church, I encourage the efforts of the international community, which is coming to the aid of the Central Africans of good will. May violence give way to dialogue, opposing factions leave aside particular interests and strive to ensure that every citizen, regardless of ethnicity or religion, can collaborate to build up the common good.

Yesterday I went to Redipuglia to the Austrian-Hungarian cemetery and the Military Shrine…there I prayed for those who died in the Great War. The numbers are shocking, they speak of over 8 million young soldiers who fell and an estimated 7 million civilians.  This makes us understand that war is madness, and humanity has yet to learn the lessons from this madness! Because after this war, there was another world war and so many more still going on today.  But when will we learn? When will we learn this lesson? I invite everyone to look at the Crucified Christ to understand that hate and evil are defeated by forgiveness and good, to understand that the response of war only increases evil and death!

(From archive of Vatican Radio)