Pope Francis on November 15, 2020, offered prayers for peace in the Ivory Coast, beset with violence in the wake of national elections.
“My thought also goes to the Ivory Coast, which is celebrating today the National Day of Peace, in a context of social and political tensions which, unfortunately, have caused many victims,” the Pope said after praying the Angelus with the limited crowd of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. “I join in prayer to obtain the gift of national harmony from the Lord, and I exhort all sons and daughters of that dear country to cooperate responsibly for reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. I encourage in particular the different political actors to re-establish a climate of mutual trust and dialogue, in the quest for just solutions that protect and promote the common good.”
Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council announced that President Alassane Quattara had won his bid for a third term in office on 9 November 9. Since then violence has continued across the country, with the political capital Yamoussoukro a particular flashpoint. At least 16 people have reportedly died in election-related violence, according to Vatican News.
