20 Apr , 17:26
2
Pope Francis: Peace is impossible without disarmament, and defense should not turn into an arms race
As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to TASS, Pope Francis made this important statement in his traditional Easter message Urbi et orbi ("To the City and the World").
The 88-year-old pontiff was personally present on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica during the announcement of the message and congratulated the faithful on the holiday. However, due to health concerns, he was unable to lead the Easter service, entrusting this mission to Cardinal Angelo Comastri.
"No peace is possible without disarmament! The need of any nation to ensure its own defense cannot turn into an arms race. In the face of the brutality of conflicts that affect civilians, with the destruction of schools and hospitals, attacks on humanitarian workers, we must not forget that this does not strike the enemy, but people with souls and human dignity," the pontiff emphasized.
He appealed for peace in the Holy Land, where this year Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter simultaneously.
"I express my closeness to the suffering Christians in Palestine and Israel, as well as to all the Israeli people and all the Palestinian people," the message states. The Pope also called for prayers for Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, addressed the conflicting parties in Russia and Ukraine, "where all sides must strive to achieve a lasting peace." Francis did not overlook the Caucasus region, expressing hope for full reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the Balkans, where politicians "should not allow tensions and crisis." The pontiff also mentioned the difficult situation in African countries (DR Congo, Sudan, the Sahel region), Yemen and Myanmar.
Notably, for the first time in 11 years, the dates of Orthodox and Catholic Easter coincided. During the Easter service at St. Peter's Square, which gathered more than 35,000 faithful, ancient Byzantine chants in Old Church Slavonic were heard.
