During the Angelus, Pope Francis appealed to the faithful to pray for peace in parts of the world at war. He also recalled the current week of prayer for Christian unity (January 18 to 25, 2024), which will end solemnly on Thursday with vespers in São Paulo Outside the Walls.
“Let us pray especially in these days for the unity of Christians and never tire of asking the Lord for peace in Ukraine, in Israel and Palestine and in so many other parts of the world,” said Francis after the midday prayer in St. Peter’s Square. . : “It is always the weakest who suffer from lack. I think of the little ones, of the many injured and dead children, of those who are deprived of their affection, their dreams and their future.”
We must feel responsible to “pray for them and create peace,” the church leader reiterated his plea.
According to Hamas, more than 10,000 children have already been victims of the war in the Holy Land alone, in addition to the numerous victims who are still under the rubble. As the United Nations announced in a report on Friday, women and children were the main victims of the war in the Gaza Strip, with around 16,000 deaths in total. Numerous women were also widowed, while more than 10,000 children had to deal with the loss of a parent. Two mothers lose their lives every hour in the Gaza Strip, according to a dramatic report from UN Women, the UN agency for promoting women's equality and rights.
(Vatican news – cs)