Pope Francis in the Vatican, in January this year.Andrew Medichini (AP)
Pope Francis has once again expressed his opinion on current global events and armed conflicts in the world. In an interview with the Argentine news agency Télam, the Pope said: “Dialogue cannot only be nationalistic, it is universal, especially today with all means of communication.” The head of the Catholic Church added: “I am talking about universal dialogue, about universal harmony , of universal encounter.” And the enemy of that, of course, is war. From the end of World War II until today, there have been wars everywhere. This led me to say that we are experiencing a fragmented world war. “Now we understand why this world war happened.” Francisco’s words mainly referred to the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, since the meeting with the journalist took place at the end of September, days before the war broke out in Gaza.
Since these statements, the Pope has repeatedly emphasized his position on the issue. “May the attacks and weapons please stop! And it is understood that terrorism and war do not lead to any solution, but only to the death and suffering of so many innocents,” he said on October 8, hours after the confrontation between the two Israel and Hamas broke out. A few days later, on October 15, he insisted on respect for human rights “particularly in Gaza, where it is urgent and necessary to ensure humanitarian closures and come to the aid of the entire population.”
When he talks about war, Francisco invokes the concept of comprehensive security. “You cannot achieve partial security for a country unless there is comprehensive security for all.” If there is no universal security, “or it is in the process of becoming universal,” there is no way to achieve social security. he says. As for building peace, he assures that when engaging in dialogue one must be clear about where one is speaking from. “Awareness of identity is very important for dialogue. As a Catholic, if I have to talk to someone who belongs to a different religion, I have to be aware that I am sincerely Catholic and that the other person has every right to their religion. But if I’m not aware of my own identity, I won’t have a dialogue and I’ll laugh at everything.”
The conversation took the pontiff through several scenarios. He spoke about artificial intelligence, analyzing the possible consequences of accelerated development, even its relationship with God, the changes that the Catholic Church has experienced under his mandate or its positions, often criticized by the most conservative groups of the institution. “I am not a communist, as some say. “The pope follows the gospel,” he said at the meeting. However, the dialogue between the religious man and the reporter did not discuss the presidential elections that will take place in Argentina next Sunday.
During the interview, the Pope appears to be in a good mood and even talks about the need to have humor and laugh at himself. “In my priestly work, I have sometimes advised someone to look in the mirror and laugh at themselves. “It’s hard for them because they lack the ability to have a sense of humor,” he remembers with amusement. The pontiff, who assured that he plans to travel to Argentina in the future, his home country which he has not visited since his appointment in 2013, ended his message with a joke: “Please pray for me. But pray for it, not against it.”
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