Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Pope condemns ‘arrogant’ abuse of power that leads to war, violence

Pope condemns ‘arrogant’ abuse of power that leads to war, violence

Last updated on: September 29, 2016 at 4:26 pm by CNA Daily News

Pope condemns ‘arrogant’ abuse of power that leads to war, violence 2016-09-29T16:26:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2016 / 10:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a passionate speech on Thursday, Pope Francis condemned as arrogant the mentality of revenge and the abuses of power that lead to violent conflicts.

“Violence begets violence, and we have the impression of being caught up in a spiral of arrogance and inertia from which there is no escape,” the Pope told members of charitable and humanitarian organizations Sept. 29, adding that the evil “which grips our will and conscience should challenge us.”

“Why, even at the cost of untold damage to persons, property and the environment, does man continue to pursue abuses of power, revenge and violence?” he said, and pointed to a recent attack on a U.N. humanitarian convoy as an example.

Acts of violence such as this are part of the “mysterium iniquitatis,” he said, referring to “that evil which is present in man and in history and which needs to be redeemed.”

Francis condemned the attack as “destruction for destruction’s sake,” and stressed that despite the growing suffering due to war and conflict, “the answer to the drama of evil lies in the mystery of Christ.”

Pope Francis spoke to members of charitable organizations gathered in the Vatican for a Sept. 29 symposium on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria, organized by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

Marking the fifth such meeting, the symposium gathered 80 representatives from various Catholic charitable organizations in the Middle East, as well as those in religious congregations who work in crisis areas.

Among the participants were several bishops from Syria and Iraq, as well as the apostolic nuncios to both countries, Archbishop Mario Zenari and Archbishop Alberto Ortega, respectively. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also spoke during the event, as did Staffan de Mistura, special U.N. envoy to Syria.

In his speech to participants, Pope Francis lamented that despite extensive efforts made in the past five years, “the logic of arms and oppression, hidden interests and violence continues to wreak devastation on these countries.”

“Even now, we have not been able to put an end to the exasperating suffering and repeated violations of human rights,” he said, noting that the consequences of the crisis go “well beyond the region,” and are clearly visible in the ever-growing phenomenon of migration.

Those who work or volunteer in charitable and humanitarian organizations are a reflection of God’s mercy, and a sign that “evil has limits and does not have the last word,” Francis said.

“This is a sign of great hope,” he continued, and offered his thanks to those who pray daily for the victims of the conflicts, particularly the children, observing that “in Aleppo, children have to drink polluted water!”

However, Pope Francis noted that beyond the necessary humanitarian aid, what citizens in the Middle East really want more than anything else is peace.

Because of this, the Pope said he will never tire of asking the international community “for greater and renewed efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East, and of asking not to look the other way.”

“This request is my daily prayer to God, to inspire the minds and hearts of all who have political responsibility, that they may be able to renounce their own interests in order to achieve the greater good: peace,” he said.

Francis also noted that while political leaders certainly play a key role, it is also the responsibility of each individual to commit to being a peacemaker in their own way, “because every situation of violence and injustice is a wound to the body of the whole human family.”

Turning to the Christians in the Middle East who suffer violence and uncertainty, the Pope insisted that in the midst of “so much darkness, these Churches hold high the lamp of faith, hope and charity,” and assured them of his closeness and prayer.

He entrusted these communities and those who work on the ground serving the victims of the humanitarian crisis to the intercession of newly-canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta, whom he called an “exemplar of charity and mercy.”

According to statistics from Cor Unum, the ecclesial network in Iraq and Syria has comprehensively reached more than 9 million individual beneficiaries from 2015-2016.

In 2015, roughly $207 million in humanitarian aid was raised, while as of July, 2016 has yielded $196 million. Since 2011, the crisis in both countries has left around 300,000 people dead and 1 million wounded.

Currently in Syria there are more than 13.5 million people in need of aid, and more than 10 million in Iraq. According to Cor Unum, the number of internal refugees in Syria is 8.7 million while in Iraq the number is 3.4 million, with 4.8 million Syrians having fled to surrounding countries of the Middle East, most significantly in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

Vatican

Previous Post

September 29, 2016

Spreading hope, trust, the center of next World Communications Day

Next Post

September 29, 2016 Critics find dodgy ethics in 'three-parent baby' conception

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many specific prophecies about Messiah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

300+ 250 150 200