A sunny and hot Rome welcomed the Angelus prayer of Pope Francis from the balcony of the papal buildings with hundreds of pilgrims who, despite the high temperatures, wanted to accompany the pontiff in the traditional Marian prayer.
After the prayer to Our Lady, the Pope fixed his gaze on Lebanon, recalling, first of all, the recent beatification of Patriarch Stefano Douayhy, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, who, as the Pope emphasized, "was a witness of hope in a difficult time".
The Pontiff expressed his closeness and prayer for the Lebanese people who, today, are also suffering complicated and violent moments. He prayed for the families of the victims of the explosion that took place 4 years ago today in the port of Beirut, in which 217 people died and more than 7,000 were injured.
Do not suffocate God's word of peace.
Pope Francis has expressed his concern over the ongoing violence in the Middle East and prayed that the conflict "does not spread further". In addition to
the populations of Israel, Palestine and Lebanon - with mention of the Druze community present in these areas - the Pope did not forget Myanmar and launched a strong appeal to stop the wars. "Enough! Do not suffocate God's word of peace! War is a failure," the pontiff strongly emphasized.
Venezuela was also present in this prayer. Referring to the difficult times in the Latin American country, the Pope addressed an appeal to "all to seek the truth and avoid violence among the population, for the good of the people and not for partisan interests".
Finally, he remembered those affected by the recent torrential rains in India, especially in the state of Kerala.
Before taking his leave, the Pope wanted to highlight the feast of the Holy Curé of Ars that the Church celebrates on August 4 and thanked so many parish priests "who with zeal and generosity, sometimes with great suffering, spend their lives for God and their people" and asked the faithful to give the parish priests a round of applause before wishing them a good lunch and a good Sunday.
