Pope condemns "massacre" of women and children in Gaza

Photo by Emad El Byed on Unsplash

Source: Vatican News

As the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square on Friday, All Saints' Day, Pope Francis, once again called for prayers for peace in the world, condemning the latest violent attacks on innocent people in Gaza and expressing closeness to victims of a terror attack in Chad and of flooding in Spain.

Pope Francis mentioned Ukraine, Myanmar, South Sudan before asking for peace in the Middle East. "Brothers and sisters, war is always a defeat, always!" said the Pope. He described warfare as being "ignoble", explaining that "it is the triumph of lies and of falsehood, seeking maximum gain for oneself and maximum harm for the adversary, trampling on human lives, the environment, infrastructure-everything; and all masked by lies."

Pope Francis added that in warfare countless innocent lives are lost, and turned his thoughts in particular to "the 153 women and children massacred in recent days in Gaza".

Pope Francis then spoke about a recent attack in Chad. 40 soldiers were killed on the 27th of October when members of the jihadist group Boko Haram attacked an army base near the Nigerian border. The Pope expressed his closeness to the victims and to their families.

The Pope also asked for prayers for the people of the Iberian Peninsula, and especially for Valencian community, devastated by the "DANA" storm. The Pope prayed "for the deceased and their loved ones, and for all the families affected", adding "may the Lord support those who suffer and those who bring relief. Our closeness to the people of Valencia."