Vatican City, 31 May 2014 (VIS) –
Yesterday afternoon the Pope delivered a message to the participants
in the meeting with Catholic charitable associations who work in the
context of the crisis in Syria, organised by the Pontifical Council
“Cor Unum”.
“We meet again to evaluate the work
carried out so far and to renew our will to follow this path”, he
writes. “But we must accept with great sorrow that the Syrian
crisis has not been resolved, but instead continues, and there is the
risk of growing accustomed to it: of forgetting the victims claimed
on a daily basis, the unspeakable suffering, the thousands of
refugees, which include the elderly and children, who suffer and at
times die of hunger and of diseases causes by the conditions of war.
This indifference is harmful! Once again we must repeat the name of
this illness that does so much damage in today's world: the
globalisation of indifference”.
He continues, “The action of peace
and the work of humanitarian aid carried out by Catholic charitable
entities in this context constitute a faithful expression of God's
love for his children, who find themselves in conditions of
oppression and anguish. God hears their cry, He knows their
suffering, and He wishes to free them; and you lend your hands and
your abilities to Him. … This meeting offers a useful opportunity
to identify suitable forms of stable collaboration, in dialogue
between the various actors, in order to improve the organisation of
our efforts to support the local Churches and all the victims of the
war, without distinction on ethnic, religious or social grounds”.
Pope Francis launches a further appeal
to the consciences of the parties to the conflict, to world
institutions and public opinion, and affirms: “We are all aware
that the future of humanity is built with peace and not by war: war
destroys, kills, and impoverishes peoples and countries. I ask that
all parties, with a view to the common good, immediately consent to
humanitarian aid and to silence their weapons as soon as possible,
making efforts to negotiate and to make their first priority the
well-being of Syria, of all her inhabitants, including the many who
have had to seek refuge elsewhere and who have the right to return to
their homeland as soon as possible. I think in particular of the dear
Christian communities, the face of a Church who suffers and hopes.
Their survival in the Middle East is of profound concern to the
universal Church: Christianity must be able to continue to live
there, where its origins lie”.
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