Pope in Jordan, laments Syria conflict
The Roman Catholic leader meets with refugees.
AMMAN, Jordan — Pope Francis denounced arms dealers and appealed Saturday for an urgent end to the Syrian civil war as he began his three-day trip to the Middle East with an emotional meeting with refugees from Syria and Iraq who have fled to Jordan.
Francis deviated from his prepared remarks to make a strong plea for peace during his first day in Jordan, praying for God to “convert those who seek war, those who make and sell weapons!”
The appeal came during a meeting with refugees, just moments after the pontiff bent down at the Jordan River, where some believe was the site of Jesus’ baptism, and touched the waters. And it capped an intense day at the start of his first visit as pope to the Holy Land.
“Vive il papa,” a group of schoolchildren waving Vatican flags shouted as the pope arrived earlier Saturday at the royal palace for private talks with King Abdullah II, Queen Rania and their children.
Francis thanked Jordan for its “generous welcome” to Syrian refugees and called for an urgent resolution to the civil war next door.
“I urge the international community not to leave Jordan alone in the task of meeting the humanitarian emergency caused by the arrival of so great a number of refugees, but to continue and even increase its support and assistance.”
Jordan last month opened a third refugee camp for Syrians, evidence of the strains the conflict is creating for the country. It’s currently hosting 600,000 registered Syrian refugees, or 10 percent of its population, but Jordanian officials estimate the real number is closer to 1.3 million.
Francis saw the refugee exodus firsthand, meeting with some 600 Syrian and Iraqi refugees and disabled children at a church in Bethany beyond the Jordan, which many believe is the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism.
Francis, who has frequently despaired over the plight of refugees, told them that he had wanted in particular to meet with them during his trip and issued a heartfelt plea for peace in their homeland.
“I pray once more that reason and restraint will prevail, and that with the help of the international community, Syria will rediscover the path of peace,” he said.
Francis touched on the theme of peace during an afternoon Mass at Amman’s windswept international stadium, urging the faithful to “put aside our grievances and divisions” for the sake of peace and unity.
Overhead, enormous blue balloons in the shape of a rosary, complete with a blue balloon crucifix, rose high into the sky.
Francis is scheduled to visit a Palestinian refugee camp today, when he travels from Amman to the West Bank city of Bethlehem. He will spend Monday in Jerusalem.
visiting the grand mufti of Jerusalem