In Easter message, Pope Francis urges peace, end to Syria carnage
Pope Francis called for an end to “carnage” in Syria and “reconciliation” in the Middle East in his traditional Easter message on Sunday.
“Today we implore fruits of peace upon the entire world, beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria,” the pontiff said in the “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and the World) address. Appealing to the “consciences of all political and military leaders,” Francis urged “that a swift end may be brought to the carnage” as tens of thousands of pilgrims listened in St Peter’s Square and millions watched the speech broadcast live around the world.
The head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics asked that “provisions be made to facilitate access to the aid so urgently needed by our brothers and sisters, while also ensuring fitting conditions for the return of the displaced” to Syria.
The 81-year-old Francis said the Holy Land was “also experiencing... the wounds of ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenceless”, singling out the conflict in Yemen where some 10,000 people have died since March 2015.
Praying for the “fruits of peace upon the entire world”, Francis then called for the “fruits of dialogue for the Korean peninsula”, that the “discussions under way may advance peace and harmony within the region.”
“May those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people and to build relationships of trust within the international community,” the Argentine pope said.