The head of the Catholic Church declared that humanity has lost the path to peace and will not find it again.
The "Queen of Peace", the Virgin Mary, asked Pope Francis for help against hatred and wars at the prayer vigil that the head of the church personally led in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday evening.
The head of the Catholic Church declared that humanity has lost the path to peace and will not find it again. He believed that we were living in dark times.
Humanity chose Cain and Abel instead of brotherhood
- said Pope Francis.
At the beginning of the prayer held in the basilica, the head of the church stopped at the icon of the Virgin Mary displayed at the main altar. “We ask for mercy, Queen of mercy; peace, queen of peace! Shake the soul of the one who fell into the trap of hatred, redeem the one who lives and incites the conflicts", pleaded the head of the church.
He asked the Virgin Mary to dry the tears of the children, who have been crying a lot lately. He advocated support for the lonely and elderly, help for the wounded and sick, protection for all those who had to leave their homes and loved ones, comfort for those who had lost hope.
The Vatican hopes that the situation will not worsen
Following the October 7 terrorist attack by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas, Pope Francis announced that he would hold a prayer vigil. In the past, he repeatedly urged the immediate release of the hostages taken in Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance to the population of Gaza.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, head of the Holy See's diplomacy, told reporters on Friday that the Vatican hopes that the situation will not worsen.
He called the release of the hostages a key issue at the moment, in which case - according to the cardinal - the Israeli ground attack in Gaza could be avoided. The State Secretary of the Holy See confirmed that
Pope Francis is ready to meet the family members of the hostages.
According to the Vatican, on October 22, the Pope spoke on the phone with US President Joe Biden and on Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
(MTI)
