Pope Francis lights candle to promote peace in Syria
Pope Francis lit a candle decorated with the faces of Syrian children affected by war as he launched a global campaign on Sunday calling for peace in the country “martyred by a conflict that has lasted for nearly eight years.”
Speaking from his balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff told believers on the first Sunday of the Advent season leading up to Christmas that “Advent is a time of hope.”
“I pray that these flames, and many flames of hope, disperse the darkness of war,” he said, lifting the candle to the window.
“Let’s pray and help the Christians to remain in Syria and the Middle East as witnesses of mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation. May the flame of hope also reach all those who are victims of conflicts and tensions around the world, near and far.”
He urged those who encourage war and make weapons for conflicts to have a change of heart.
The lighting of the candle with the images of about 40 Syrian children, mostly from Aleppo, marked the launch of a global campaign for peace, which the charity Aid to the Church in Need said involved more than 50,000 children of different religions from war-torn Syrian cities.
Syria’s war has claimed more than 360,000 lives and displaced millions, with over 13 million people in the country in need of humanitarian aid.
The UN Children’s Fund warned last month that a funding gap and the start of winter could leave almost 1 million children, including Syrians, “out in the cold” and at risk of serious illness throughout the Middle East and North Africa.