Thousands pray and fast for peace in Syria, Pope Francis ‘let us work for reconciliation and peace’
Pope Francis called for reconciliation and dialogue in Syria on Saturday as he led a mass vigil for peace in the country torn apart by civil war.
“In beloved Syria, in the Middle East, in all the world, let us pray for reconciliation and peace, let us work for reconciliation and peace,” Agence France-Presse quoted the pope as saying.
“War always marks the failure of peace, it is always a defeat for humanity.”
A global day of fasting and praying on Saturday has been called by the Catholic Church for peace in Syria and to oppose any military intervention in the country.
“Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace!,” Francis said. He called on the world’s 1.5 billion Catholics, other Christians, people of different faiths and “all men of good will” to join him in prayers and fasting. Many are.
This is a topic uniting all denominations.
It’s a way to be in solidarity with people who are suffering terribly from war,” said Atkins, a native of southern Indiana and pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in New Albany, Indiana. “I’m going to be thinking about the children, the kids, affected by this terrible conflict.”
In a letter to G20 leaders on Thursday, the pope decried the “senseless massacre” in Syria but said a military solution would be “futile.”
According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have already died in Syria’s bloody civil war, which has drawn fighters from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
In a letter sent to Congress on Friday, a coalition of Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders organized by the Washington-based Friends Committee on National Legislation urged legislators not to approve the use of military force in Syria.
“Rather than yielding to the temptation to fuel the fire with more violence,” the letter says, “we see an opportunity for the U.S. to leverage the full weight of its diplomatic influence and resources to advance a just, negotiated settlement.”
“Peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs all of humanity #prayforpeace,” Pope Francis tweeted in one post, with another saying: “Never again war! War never again!”