by Gian Guido Vecchi
In the Easter message Urbi et Orbi, Francis quotes the RusselEinstein Manifesto for Nuclear Disarmament and prays: «Peace be on the tormented Ukraine. Stop flexing your muscles while people suffer”
VATICAN CITY Like the disciples in disbelief before the risen Jesus who says “Peace be with you!” and shows the wounds of the crucifixion. “Even our eyes are in disbelief at this Easter of war. We’ve seen too much blood, too much violence. Our hearts too are filled with fear and anguish while so many of our brothers and sisters have had to shut themselves up to defend themselves against the bombs. We find it difficult to believe that Jesus really rose from the dead, that he really conquered death. Could it be an illusion? “. Francis gazes from the central loggia of San Pietro at the usual planetary message on Easter Day, before the Urbi et Orbi blessing, marked by the pains of the world. And this year, increasingly marked by “fratricidal hatred” and “our hardness of heart” is even worse.” No, that’s not an illusion! Today more than ever the Easter message that is so dear to the Christian East rings out: “Christ is risen! He is really risen!“. Lent that doesn’t want to end. We’ve had two years of pandemic that have left serious scars. It was time to come out of the tunnel together, hand in hand, to join forces and resources … And instead show we that within us is still the spirit of Cain who does not see Abel as a brother but as a rival and consider how to eliminate him.We need the resurrected crucifix to remember the victory of the Li just to believe in order to hope for reconciliation. Today more than ever we need him to come to us and say to us again: “Peace be with you!” ». As always, the list of wars and suffering on the planet is long. But it can only begin with the Russian invasion: “May there be peace to tormented Ukraine, so severely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it has been drawn,” says the Pope. “On this terrible night of suffering and soon there will be a new glimmer of hope! Peace be chosen. Stop tensing your muscles while others are in pain. Please, let’s not get used to war, let’s all commit, on the balconies and to call for peace in the streets!» Francis goes so far as to quote the Manifesto for Nuclear Disarmament, propagated by the philosopher Bertrand Russel and the physicist Albert Einstein and published on July 9, 1955, in the midst of the Cold War: «Whoever bears the responsibilities of nations, hear the cry for the peace of men Listen to this disturbing question asked by scientists nearly seventy years ago: “Are we going to put an end to mankind, or will mankind be able be to give up the war?” The Pope continues: “I carry in my heart all the numerous Ukrainian victims, the millions of refugees and internally displaced persons Displaced people, families torn apart, elderly abandoned, lives broken and cities razed to the ground. In my eyes I have the look of orphans fleeing the war. Looking at them, we cannot help but hear their cry of pain, along with that of the many other children suffering around the world: those dying of hunger or lack of care, those who are victims of abuse and violence , and those who have been denied the right to give birth”. In the pain of war, “there are also signs of encouragement, such as the open doors of so many families and communities welcoming migrants and refugees across Europe,” he explains: “Like these numerous actions of relief become a blessing for our societies, sometimes degraded by so much selfishness and individualism, and help to make them welcome to all ».
The latest news about the war in Ukraine
But it’s not just about Ukraine. “May the conflict in Europe also make us more concerned in the face of other situations of tension, suffering and pain that affect too many regions of the world and that we cannot and do not want to forget,” Pope Francis lists: “May there be peace in the Middle East, torn by years of divisions and conflicts. On this glorious day we ask for peace for Jerusalem and peace for those who love it, Christians, Jews and Muslims. May Israelis, Palestinians and all the inhabitants of the Holy City, together with the pilgrims, experience the beauty of peace, live in fraternity and have free access to the Holy Sites, with mutual respect for the rights of everyone”. And again: “May there be peace and reconciliation for the peoples of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq and especially for all Christian communities living in the Middle East. May there be peace also for Libya, because it finds stability after years of tension, and for Yemen, suffering from a forgotten conflict with continuous casualties: the ceasefire signed in the last few days can give hope to the population again. Francis’ message traces the locations of the greatest tensions on the planet. “We ask the risen Lord for the gift of reconciliation for Myanmar, where a dramatic scenario of hatred and violence continues, and for Afghanistan, where dangerous social tensions persist and where a dramatic humanitarian crisis plagues the population,” it said. “May there be peace for the entire African continent so that the exploitation of which it is a victim and the bleeding caused by terrorist attacks especially in the Sahel stop and you find concrete support in the brotherhood of peoples. Rediscover Ethiopia, hit by a serious humanitarian crisis, the path of dialogue and reconciliation and an end to violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. May there be prayer and solidarity for the peoples of eastern South Africa affected by devastating floods. May the Risen Christ accompany and help the populations of Latin America, whose social conditions have in some cases deteriorated during these difficult times of the pandemic, which have also been aggravated by cases of crime, violence, corruption and drug trafficking. The Pope also thinks of the indigenous people of Canada, Inuit, Métis and First Nations, whom he met three weeks ago to ask their forgiveness after the Catholic boarding schools scandal: “We ask the risen Lord to accompany us on the path of reconciliation, The Canadian Catholic Church travels with indigenous peoples. May the Spirit of the Risen Christ heal the wounds of the past and free hearts to seek truth and fraternity”. The last thought applies to the conflicts that are bleeding the earth: “Dear brothers and sisters, every war has aftereffects that affect all of humanity: from the grief to the refugee drama to the economic and food crisis of which we are now already can see the rumble. In the face of the continuing signs of war and life’s many painful defeats, Christ, the victor over sin, fear and death, exhorts us not to give in to evil and violence. Let us be overwhelmed by the peace of Christ! Peace is possible, peace is a duty, peace is everyone’s primary responsibility!”
April 17, 2022 (Change April 17, 2022 | 12:30)
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