- Pope Francis called on the world to use the ‘weapons of love’
- He said these weapons are the ones that must be used in fighting terrorism
- The call came after several attacks in Brussels
Following the attacks in Brussels, Pope Francis has called on the world to use the “weapons of love” in fighting terrorism; saying that these weapons are effective in fighting the evil of “blind and brutal violence.”
“May He (the risen Jesus) draw us closer on this Easter feast to the victims of terrorism, that blind and brutal form of violence which continues to shed blood in different parts of the world,” the Pope said, as quoted in an article written by Philip Pullella of Reuters, which was posted on ABS-CBN.
He mentioned the recent attacks in Belgium, where at least 31 people were killed by Islamist militants, as well as those in Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Iraq. The Pope condemned the Brussels attacks several times during the past week, including at a Good Friday service where he said followers of religions who carried out acts of fundamentalism or terrorism were profaning God’s name.
“May he draw us closer…to the victims of terrorism, that blind and brutal form of violence which continues to shed blood in different parts of the world, as in the recent attacks in Belgium, Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire. May he water the seeds of hope and prospects for peace in Africa; I think in particular of Burundi, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, marked by political and social tensions,” he stated.
“With the weapons of love, God has defeated selfishness and death,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has expressed hopes that recent talks could resolve the conflict in Syria in order to end the “sad wake of destruction, death, contempt for humanitarian law and the breakdown of civil concord.”
He urged Europe “not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, an ever more numerous throng of migrants and refugees – including many children – fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice.”
One may read here the full text of the Pope’s speech that was posted on Quartz.
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