Silence the guns! The Pope's latest cry from Iraq"Ukraine suffers and deserves peace," says Pope on Day of PrayerPope Francis never ceases to make appeals for peace. He does so practically every day, expressing in the various circumstances of his ministry the profound desire to stop wars, tear down the walls of hatred and build bridges of fraternity. In these days, particularly intense because of what is happening in the Middle East - without forgetting the "tormented Ukraine"In the past few years, his message of peace has resonated even more strongly in the most diverse contexts.
From the Synod
Beginning with the opening Mass of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on October 2, in which the Pope urged the Church to listen to the Holy Spirit in order to find harmony in differences. Speaking of the "winds of war and the fires of violence" that continue to ravage the world, Francis invited everyone to make the Church a refuge, a place of welcome and protection. He stressed how fundamental it is for the synodal journey to listen to the voice of God, the only one who can guide the Christian people towards solutions of peace and unity. "The solutions to the problems to be faced are not ours, but His," he reiterated, recalling the importance of proceeding with humility, especially in this time marked by conflicts and divisions.
At the Angelus
As he himself announced, also on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by the Synod Fathers, the Pope went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray a Rosary for peace. Before the icon of the Salus Populi Romani, Francis implored the Virgin Mary to intercede for the world, so that the prophecy of Isaiah would finally be fulfilled: "They shall break their swords and make plowshares of them, they shall make scythes of their spears; one nation shall not lift up the sword against another nation, they shall learn the art of war no more" (Is 2:4). He went on to express the need to disarm not only physical weapons, but also hearts, so that violence may cease and the path of reconciliation be opened.
To the Christians of the Near East
On the day of prayer and fasting for peace on October 7, the Pope did not want to fail to show his closeness to the Catholics of the Middle East, with a heartfelt letter in which he expressed his sympathy for the direct and indirect suffering caused by war. He repeated that every conflict represents a "defeat" and urged Christians to never tire of asking God for peace. People today do not know how to find peace," he wrote, "and we Christians must not tire of asking for it. And he added a strong call to hope: "Do not allow yourselves to be swallowed up by darkness, but become shoots of hope.
At the General Audience
Finally, in the general audience On Wednesday, October 9, resuming the cycle of catecheses on the Holy Spirit, the Pontiff reflected on the role of the Spirit in creating unity within the Church. He recalled how the Spirit, in the time of the Apostles, moved the Church to extend beyond the borders of the Jewish people, overcoming the divisions between Jews and Gentiles. In the same way, today the Spirit continues to work for unity among peoples and among Christians, teaching that unity is not built around oneself, but around Christ. He then entrusted to the "gracious mother" Mary, "the desire for peace of peoples suffering from the madness of war".
