By Junno Arocho Esteves
ABOARD
THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO KRAKOW, POLAND (CNS) — The world, not religion, is waging
a war in pieces, Pope Francis said.
While
it “is not at as organic” as past world wars, “it is organized
and it is war,” the pope told journalists July 27 on his flight to Krakow.
“Someone
may think that I am speaking about a war of religions. No, all religions want
peace. Others want war,” the pope said.
He
spoke one day after the murder of a priest during Mass in a Catholic church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray,
France. Two men, armed with knives, entered the church during Mass. The
attackers murdered 84-year-old Father Jacques Hamel, slitting his throat.
“This
holy priest who died precisely at the moment he was offering prayers for the
whole church,” he said. While lamenting the priest’s death, the pope added
that was one of countless innocents butchered by a war fought in pieces.
“How
many Christians, how many children, how many innocents?” he said. “We
are not afraid of saying this truth: The world is at war because it has lost
peace.”
The
pope also thanked people for their the countless condolences following the
murder. He said this included French President Francois Hollande, who
“wished to connect with me by telephone, like a brother.”
Pope
Francis expressed his desire that young people attending World Youth Day in
Krakow offer a message of hope in a chaotic world.
“Youths
always give us hope. Let us hope the youths may tell us something that will
give us more hope in this moment,” he said.
– – –
Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.
– – –
Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
