Pope Francis has called for a halt “to the brutal terrorist attacks in Nigeria,” adding that Boko Haram must be stopped, Reuters reports. The Pope also asked for an end to violence in Syria, Iraq, Venezuela, South Sudan and the Central Africa Republic. The Pope said this in his Easter address before a huge crowd, last Sunday.
The 77-year-old clergyman called on the international community to “boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue” in Syria, where more than 150,000 people had been killed in the civil war, a third of them civilians. Millions have fled the country. “We pray in a particular way for Syria, that all those suffering the effects of the conflict can receive needed humanitarian aid and that neither side will again use deadly force, especially against the defenceless civil population.”
Francis asked God to “enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in Ukraine so that all those involved, with the support of the international community, will make every effort to prevent violence and, in the spirit of unity and dialogue, chart a path for the country’s future.” He also denounced the “immense wastefulness” in the world while many go hungry. He prayed to God to “help us to overcome the scourge of hunger, aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible”.
Since his election as the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, Francis has made defence of the poor a hallmark of his papacy, often criticising developed nations and the excesses of capitalism and consumerism. He prays for the protection of those members of society who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and abandonment – women, children, the elderly and immigrants.