Pope Francis reiterated his appeal for peace in the world’s war zones, saying he was thinking of the children recently killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza in particular, during his Angelus address on All Saints Day on Friday.
“Let us pray for the tormented Ukraine, let us pray for Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, South Sudan and for all peoples suffering from wars,” the 87-year-old Argentine pontiff said.
“Brothers and sisters, war is always a defeat, always.
“And it is despicable because it is the triumph of lies, of falsehood.
“One seeks the maximum interest for oneself and the maximum damage for the adversary by trampling on human lives, the environment, infrastructure, everything, and everything disguised with lies.
“The innocent suffer: I am thinking of the 153 women and children massacred in the last few days in Gaza”.