DILI, 27 december 2023 (TATOLI) – On the Feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis says he is “close to the Christian communities that suffer discrimination”, and prays for peace in Syria, Gaza, and Ukraine,” according to Vatican News.
He said that on the Feast of St Stephen, he is “close to the Christian communities that suffer discrimination.”
“I urge them,” Pope Francis said, “to persevere in charity towards all, striving peacefully for justice and religious freedom,” Vatican News reported.
The Pope added that he also entrusted to St Stephen “the invocation of peace by war-torn peoples.”
“The media show us what war produces,” he said. “We witnessed Syria; now we see Gaza. We think of martyred Ukraine. A desert of death.”
Pope Francis stressed that: “People desire peace,” “Let us pray for peace. Let us strive for peace.”
He called for peace and a solution to the “desperate humanitarian situation” in Gaza.
“I hoped for peace to come “in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those peoples,” said Pope Francis.
He also reiterated his “urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage: “My heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack on october 7.”
Pope Francis urged for an end to the military operations in Gaza and called for a solution to the “desperate humanitarian situation.”
Journalist: Jose Belarmino de Sa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
