Pope calls for peace and mercy
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis issued a Christmas Day prayer that UN-backed peace processes for Syria and Libya will quickly end the suffering of their people, denouncing the “monstrous evil” and atrocities they have endured and praising countries that have taken in refugees.
Speaking from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis issued a plenary indulgence for all Catholics in hopes of spreading the church’s message of mercy in a world torn by war, poverty and extremist attacks. The sun-soaked St. Peter’s Square was under heavy security, as it has been since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks by Islamic extremists.
An indulgence is an ancient church tradition related to the forgiveness of sins.
Francis announced it after delivering his annual “Urbi et Orbi” (To the city and the world) speech listing global hot spots and his prayers for an end to human suffering.
Francis referred to the “brutal acts of terrorism” that struck the French capital this year, as well as attacks in Egypt’s airspace and in Beirut, Mali and Tunisia.
He denounced the ongoing conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine and issued words of consolation to Christians being persecuted.
“They are our martyrs of today,” he said.
He urged the international community to direct its attention to Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, where atrocities “even now reap numerous victims, cause immense suffering and do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples.”
Francis said he hoped the plenary indulgence he issued for this, his Holy Year of Mercy, would encourage the faithful “to welcome God’s mercy in our lives, and be merciful with our brothers to make peace grow.”
“Only God’s mercy can free humanity from the many forms of evil, at times monstrous evil, which selfishness spawns in our midst,” he said.
Francis has made the church’s message of mercy the focus of his pontificate, and dedicated an entire jubilee year to stressing it. Holy Years are generally celebrated every 25 to 50 years, and over the centuries they have been used to encourage the faithful to make pilgrimages to Rome to obtain an indulgence.
The UN Security Council last week threw its support behind a peace process for Syria, including a ceasefire and talks between the Damascus government and the opposition. The council has also recently endorsed the UN-brokered deal to form a unity government that Libya’s rival factions have signed.
Francis praised both individuals and countries that have taken in refugees fleeing “inhuman conditions,” saying their generosity had helped the newcomers “build a dignified future for themselves and for their dear ones, and to be integrated in the societies which receive them.”