(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 09.10.2022).- At the end of the Mass of Canonizations and before reciting the Marian prayer of the Angelus, the Pontiff spoke again about the current situation of military tension, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said specifically:
“Talking of the opening of the Council, 60 years ago, we cannot forget the danger of nuclear war, which threatened the world at that time. Why not learn from history? There were also conflicts and great tensions at that time, but the peaceful way was chosen. It is written in the Bible: ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls’” (Jeremiah 6 :16).
The precedent to which the Pope alluded was the tense situation created by the Cold War, specifically in Cuba. A month had passed since the opening of Vatican Council II; the warlike air that was breathed was very intense. Then Pope John XXIII intervened and the Russian side, headed by Khruschev, aligned itself with the Pontiff. It was 1962. At that time, the Pope contributed to avoid a World War. The present situation isn’t the same: neither the persons nor their attitudes.
