‘I am close to the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, tested by war’

In the general audience, he called for solidarity with those who suffer the devastating calamity. In his address to the faithful, the pontiff reviewed the stages of his peace journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, with a new admonition on the “shame of those who say they help and sell weapons.” “God does not put his hope in the great and powerful, but in the small and humble.”

Vatican City () – “I encourage everyone to show solidarity with these territories, which have already been martyred by a long war”. In this way, Pope Francis, at the end of the general audience held as every Wednesday in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican, invited the faithful this morning to get closer to those affected by the earthquake that caused thousands of deaths and injuries in Turkey and Syria. all those who suffer from this devastating calamity. I thank all those who make an effort to bring relief. We pray together so that these brothers and sisters of ours can go forward, overcoming this tragedy, and we ask Our Lady to protect them”.

Previously, in his address to the faithful, Pope Francis had gone through the stages of the apostolic trip that he made in recent days to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. “I thank God that he has allowed me to make this long-desired trip,” he said. “Two ‘dreams’: to visit the Congolese people, custodians of an immense country, the green lungs of Africa, a land rich in resources and bloodied by a war that never ends because there is always someone who stokes the fire. And to visit the South Sudanese people, in a pilgrimage of peace together with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Moderator General of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields: we went together to bear witness that it is possible and necessary to collaborate in diversity, especially if one shares faith in Christ” .

“Before the Kinshasa authorities”, the Pope continued, “I said two words: the first is negative: ‘Enough!’ Enough of exploiting Africa! The second is positive: together, together with dignity and mutual respect, together in the name of Christ, our hope”. The Pontiff also recalled the shocking testimonies of some Congolese victims, “especially women, who deposited weapons at the foot of the Cross and other instruments of death. With them I said ‘no’ to violence and resignation, ‘yes’ to reconciliation and hope”.

Regarding the ecumenical pilgrimage for peace in South Sudan, the Pontiff recalled that it is the arrival point of a journey that began in Rome in 2019 with the South Sudanese authorities, to commit themselves to overcome the conflict and build peace. “Unfortunately, the reconciliation process has not advanced much and the newborn South Sudan is a victim of the old logic of power and rivalry, which produces war, violence, refugees and internally displaced persons. Therefore, addressing those same authorities , I invited them to turn the page, to carry out the Peace Agreement and the Road Map, to say resolutely ‘no’ to corruption and arms trafficking and ‘yes’ to meeting and dialogue”. In this sense, the pontiff also criticized “so many so-called civilized countries that offer help, but this help consists of weapons: it is a shame.”

In this context, the ecumenical pilgrimage was a testimony “that religion is fraternity, it is peace, it is communion; that God is the Father and always and solely wants the life and good of his children.” “God places his hope not in the great and powerful, but in the small and humble,” he concluded. “Let us pray that, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in South Sudan, and throughout Africa, the seeds of his Kingdom germinate of love, justice and peace”.

Finally, as every week, Pope Francis invited us not to forget “the suffering of the Ukrainian people, so tormented: with this cold, without light, without heating and at war.”