New papal plea for peace in Middle East
June 20, 2013
Speaking on June 20 to the Reunion of Organisations for Aid to the Oriental Churches (ROACO), Pope Francis issued an emotional plea for peace in the Middle East.
The Pope remarked on the courageous witness of Christians living in the Middle East, praising the “fidelity to Christ, the Gospel, and the Church that the Eastern Catholics have given proof of throughout the centuries, facing every struggle for the Christian name and keeping the faith.” He acknowledged that many Christians in the region are “living a seemingly endless situation of insecurity and violence, which doesn't spare the innocent or the weakest.”
The Pontiff said:
I would like to once again, from the bottom of my heart, appeal to the leaders of nations and international organizations, to believers of every religion, and to all men and women of good will to put an end to all the pain, all the violence, and all religious, cultural, and social discrimination. May the conflict that sows death leave space for the encounter and the reconciliation that bring life.
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