“Never again war!” Pope Francis exclaimed after today’s catechesis at the general audience. This appeal was made as the Holy Father reflected on the end of the Second World War in the Far East. He lamented that people are still suffering today from conflicts and prayed the world will cease having to experience the horrors of such tragedies.
With this heartfelt appeal, the Pontiff underscored how people around the world are experiencing trouble and are victims of conflict. “I renew my fervent prayer to the Lord of all, that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the world today doesn’t have to experience the horrors and appalling suffering of such tragedies.”
This, the Pontiff underscored, is also the lasting desire of the people, especially those who are victims of various bloody conflicts. He lamented the persecuted minorities, persecuted Christians, the madness of the destruction, and those involved in the manufacturing and trafficking of weapons and arms, “bathed with the blood of so many innocent people.”
“Never again war” Francis concluded, is “the anguished cry from our hearts and the hearts of all men and women of good will that rises to the Prince of Peace.”
