War is 'suicide of humanity,' Pope says

June 03, 2013

“War is madness,” Pope Francis said on June 2. “It is the suicide of humanity.”

The Pope denounced warfare, in unusually strong language, in two public statements on Sunday. First, as he celebrated Mass for Italian soldiers who had been wounded in battle and for the families of those wounded or killed; then again later in his regular Angelus audience.

June 2 is Republic Day in Italy, and for the occasion the Pope concelebrated Mass for the soldiers who have been injured during missions in Afghanistan. He also led prayers for those who have fallen in combat.

At the same time, the Pope prayed for an end to warfare. “It kills precisely that which is the Lord's message: it kills love!” he said. He charged that world leaders often see warfare as a means to acquire more power and money. “It is an act of faith in money, in idols, in the idols of hatred, in that idol that leads to killing one’s brother, that leads to killing love,” he said.

During his Angelus audience, the Pope repeated his condemnation of war, while asking the crowd in St. Peter’s Square to pause for a moment of prayer for those who have died. He spoke of the heavy toll of warfare, mentioning not only the direct casualties but the destruction and economic damage. He mentioned “the scourge of kidnapping,” too, and appealed for the release of those who have been held in captivity.

Pope Francis asked for prayers particularly for “our beloved Syria,” noting that two years of warfare have caused immense suffering there. He applauded “the recent steps taken in many Latin American countries toward reconciliation and peace.”

 

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Further information:

• War is always madness (L’Osservatore Romano)
• Let Us Pray for Victims of the Madness of War (VIS)
• Pope Francis: war is the suicide of humanity (Vatican Radio)
• Pope: All is lost in war; all is to be gained in peace (VIS)
• Francis Asks for Release of Those Kidnapped in Syria, Recalls Signs of Hope in Latin America, and Prays for Victims of War (VIS)
• Angelus: Jesus Worried about Those Who Followed Him Being Hungry (VIS)