General Audience, 09/20/2017, Screenshot CTV

General Audience - Vatican Media

Appealing for Holy Land, Pope Warns 'Violence Never Leads to Peace'

Appeals to the international community for dialogue and justice

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“Violence never leads to peace.”
Pope Francis give this warning during his General Audience on May 16, 2018, calling on the international community to resolve the situation in the Holy Land, two days after the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem, which was accompanied by much bloodshed in Gaza.
Expressing his concern, the Pope said: “I am very concerned by the aggravation of tensions in the Holy Land and in the Middle East, and by the spiral of violence that is increasingly moving away from the path of peace, dialogue and negotiations. “
“I express my great sorrow for the dead and wounded and I am close to all those who suffer by prayer and affection,” he added from St. Peter’s Square. Clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinian protesters left at least 58 dead and more than 1350 wounded.
“The use of violence,” he stressed, “never leads to peace.”
“War calls for war, violence calls for violence, “warned the Pope before launching an appeal:” I invite all parties involved and the international community to renew the commitment to prevail dialogue, justice and peace. ”
Pope Francis then invited the crowd to invoke “Mary, Queen of Peace,” praying for a Hail Mary with him, before saying, “May God have mercy on us.”
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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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