Pope Francis has once again recalled from the window of the Apostolic Palace the situation of Valencia and the Valencians, a month after the DANA that left at least 222 fatalities and enormous material damage in the region. “Let’s think about Valencia, how it is suffering!” said the Pontiff during his greetings to the pilgrims in the square. He has also sent his “closeness” to Syrian Catholics, without explicitly referring to the taking of Aleppo by jihadist troops. As every week, the Pontiff has expressed the Vatican’s position on the current crises. « I am glad for the ‘ceasefire’ reached a few days ago in Lebanon and I hope that it will be respected by all parties, allowing the populations of the regions affected by the conflict – both Lebanese and Israeli – to return to their homes soon and safely, also with the precious help of the Lebanese army and the United Nations peacekeepers,” he began after the Angelus prayer. «In this situation, I address an invitation to all Lebanese politicians so that the President of the Republic is immediately elected and the institutions resume their normal functioning, to be able to undertake the necessary reforms and assure the country its role as an example of peaceful coexistence between the different religions,” he continued. Since October 30, 2022, when Michel Aoun’s term ended, there has been no President of the Republic in the country, which is mired in an unprecedented institutional crisis. Related News No Mass standard between humanitarian aid at ground zero: « There is life after this” José Ramón Navarro-Pareja “Six in the afternoon is an unusual time, but it is when the neighbors can come, after spending all day cleaning their houses and the streets,” explains the parish priest of a church that provides both material and spiritual nourishment. Referring to the Middle East, Francis has assured that he has “the hope that the spiral of peace that has opened can lead to a ‘ceasefire’ on other fronts, especially everything in Gaza. To achieve this, he said that “it is very important that the Israelis who are still being held hostage are released, and that humanitarian aid is provided for the exhausted Palestinian population.” He then requested prayers “for Syria, where unfortunately the war has reignited causing many victims.” “I am very close to the Church in Syria, let us pray,” he cried. After the taking of Aleppo by jihadist troops, many have remembered the Isis massacres and have advised Christians to escape as soon as possible. For now, the Catholic bishops have made it known that they will not leave the city, that they have no reports of attacks directed at Christians, but that the climate is one of maximum insecurity. The Pope has also stopped for a long time to express “concern and pain for the conflict that continues to bloody the martyred Ukraine.” Francisco has denounced that “for three years we have witnessed a terrible sequence of deaths, injuries, violence, destruction… Children, women, the elderly and the weak are the first victims.” War is a horror, war offends God and humanity, war affects everyone, it is always a defeat for all humanity.” He also warned that “winter is at the door and threatens to worsen living conditions.” millions of displaced. They will be very hard months for them. “The combination of war and cold is tragic.” For this reason, he has asked “again the international community, and every man and woman of good will, to do everything possible to stop this war and for dialogue, fraternity and reconciliation to prevail.” With an eye toward Christmas, “the birth of the King of peace,” the Pontiff pleaded “that concrete hope be given to these populations.” «The search for peace is not a responsibility of a few, but of all. If indifference to the horrors of war prevails, the entire human family is defeated. Let us not tire of praying for that population so severely tested and of imploring God for the gift of peace,” he concluded. Vatican mediation In the same greeting he recalled that it is 40 years since one of the greatest diplomatic successes of the Vatican, which in 1978 prevented an armed conflict in South America as a result of the Beagle crisis and led Chile and Argentina to sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1984, which is still in force. «With the mediation of the Holy See he put an end to a territorial dispute that had brought Argentina and Chile to the brink of war. This shows that, when you renounce the use of weapons and engage in dialogue, you follow a good path,” he stressed. In St. Peter’s Square you can already see the Christmas tree, which has not yet been decorated, and which will be illuminated next Saturday. Also, next to the obelisk, the traditional Nativity scene is being prepared, which will be displayed from December 7 to January 12.
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