Pope urges prayer for peace, laments arms trafficking
February 17, 2017
In his February 16 weekday Mass homily at Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis preached on the tragedy of war and the importance of prayer and work for peace.
“In today’s world there is blood being spilt,” he preached. “Today the world is at war. Many brothers and sisters are dying, even innocent people, because the great and powerful want a larger slice of the earth; they want a little more power, or they want to make a little more money on arms trafficking.”
Prayer for peace, he continued, “is not a formality; work towards peace is not a formality … War begins in the heart of a person; it begins at home, in the family, among friends and then goes out into the whole world.”
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Feb. 17, 2017 6:58 AM ET USA
This is precisely the way that Pope Francis and all politicians should speak about combat arms. It is not the arms themselves that are evil, but the human heart that plots death, that plots avarice, that plots covetousness. I am not so certain, however, that war always begins at home. Typically it begins not at the dinner table, but outside of the home, on the internet, on the telephone, at a committee meeting, just about anywhere but at the home. If at home, this type of scheming is hidden.
