Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism – based on CNBC report, Pope Francis in his traditional Easter Sunday address denounced as “scandalous” how armed conflicts continue to rage even as the coronavirus pandemic has triggered severe social and economic suffering and swollen the ranks of the poor.
He sounded a note of indignation at the start of his address, decrying that there has been no shortage of war and conflict during the world’s worst health crisis in a century.
“The pandemic is still spreading, while the social and economic crisis remains severe, especially for the poor. Nevertheless — and this is scandalous — armed conflicts have not ended, and military arsenals are being strengthened,″ Francis said, sounding angry. “That is today’s scandal.”
Francis thanked Lebanon and Jordan for taking in refugees from war in Syria, praying that peace finally comes to “millions are living in inhumane conditions.” He also prayed for ends to conflicts in Yemen and Libya.
Pope Francis condemned the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, calling for an end to the “clash of arms” in his Easter message.
In the address, Francis said it was scandalous that “armed conflicts have not ended and military arsenals are being strengthened.”
The Pope singled out the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, praying, “May Christ our peace finally bring an end to the clash of arms in beloved and war-torn Syria,” and in Yemen, “whose situation has met with a deafening and scandalous silence.”
“May he inspire world leaders to curb the race for new weaponry,” Francis continued, denouncing the “insidious and horrible” landmines, saying, “how much better our world would be without these instruments of death.”
