The pope wearing a mask appeals to fraternity during interfaith prayer

Speaking to Italian government officials and religious leaders during an interfaith prayer for peace on Tuesday, Pope Francis launched an appeal for fraternity as a remedy for war and conflict, insisting that love is what creates space for brotherhood.

“We need peace! More peace! We cannot remain indifferent ”, the Pope said during an ecumenical prayer event on October 20 organized by the community of Sant'Egidio, adding that“ today the world has a deep thirst for peace ”.

For the best part of the event, Pope Francis wore a mask as part of anti-Covid 19 protocols, something that had previously only been seen doing in the car that ferried him to and from appearances. The gesture came as a new wave of infections is mounting in Italy, and after four members of the Swiss Guards tested positive for COVID-19.

"The world, political life and public opinion all run the risk of getting used to the evil of war, as if it were simply a part of human history," he said, and he also pointed to the plight of refugees and displaced. as victims of atomic bombs and chemical attacks, noting that the impact of war in many places has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Ending the war is a solemn duty before God that belongs to all those with political responsibilities. Peace is the priority of all politics, ”Francis said, insisting that“ God will ask for an account of those who have failed to seek peace, or who have fomented tensions and conflicts. He will call them to account for all the days, months and years of war endured by the peoples of the world! "

Peace must be pursued by the whole human family, he said, and publicized human fraternity - the theme of his latest encyclical Fratelli Tutti, published on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi - as a remedy.

"Fraternity, born from the awareness that we are one human family, must penetrate the life of peoples, communities, government leaders and international assemblies," he said.

Pope Francis spoke during a world day of prayer for peace organized by Sant'Egidio, the pope's favorite of the so-called "new movements".

Entitled "Nobody Saves Alone - Peace and Fraternity", Tuesday's event lasted about two hours and consisted of an interreligious prayer service held at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, followed by a short procession to Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome, where speeches were delivered and a "Rome 2020 Appeal for Peace" signed by all religious leaders present was presented.

The event was attended by the leaders of various religious communities in Rome and abroad, including the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. Also present were the president of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, and the president of Sant'Egidio, the Italian layman Andrea Riccardi.

It is the second time that Pope Francis participates in a day of prayer for peace organized by Sant'Egidio, the first of which was in Assisi in 2016. In 1986, St. John Paul II visited Perugia and Assisi for the World Day of Prayer for peace. Sant'Egidio has celebrated the day of prayer for peace every year since 1986.

In his homily, Pope Francis referred to the many voices that cry out to Jesus to save himself as he hangs from the cross, insisting that this is a temptation that "spares no one, including us Christians".

“Focus only on our own problems and interests, as if nothing else matters. It is a very human instinct, but wrong. It was the last temptation of the crucified God, ”he said, noting that those who insulted Jesus did so for various reasons.

He warned against having a wrong idea of ​​God, preferring a "god who works wonders to one who is compassionate," and condemned the attitude of priests and scribes who did not appreciate what Jesus did for others, but wanted that he looked out for himself. He also pointed to the thieves, who asked Jesus to save them from the cross, but not necessarily from sin.

The outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross, Pope Francis said, "mark the turning point, because God does not point the finger at anyone, but instead embraces everyone".

After the pope's homily, those present observed a moment of silence in memory of all those who died as a result of the war or the current coronavirus pandemic. Then a special prayer was made during which the names of all countries at war or in conflict were mentioned and a candle lit as a sign of peace.

At the end of the speeches, in the second part of the day, the Rome 2020 "Appeal for Peace" was read aloud. Once the appeal was read, the children were given copies of the text, which they then took to the various ambassadors and political representatives present.

In the appeal, the leaders noted that the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957 on the Campidoglio of Rome, where the event took place, establishing the European Economic Community (EEC), precursor of the European Union.

"Today, in these uncertain times, as we feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that threatens peace by aggravating inequality and fear, we firmly affirm that no one can be saved alone: ​​no people, no single individual!", They said .

"Before it's too late, we would like to remind everyone that war always leaves the world worse than it was," they said, calling the war a "failure of politics and humanity" and calling on government leaders to "refuse the language of division, often based on fear and mistrust, and to avoid taking paths with no return “.

They urged world leaders to look to the victims and urged them to work together "to create a new architecture of peace" by promoting health care, peace and education, and diverting funds used to create weapons and spend them instead in “Care of humanity and our common home. "

Pope Francis during his speech stressed that the reason for meeting was "to send a message of peace" and "to clearly show that religions do not want war and, indeed, deny those who consecrate violence".

To this end, he praised the milestones of fraternity such as the document on human brotherhood for the world

What religious leaders are asking, he said, is that “everyone pray for reconciliation and strive to allow the fraternity to open new paths of hope. In fact, with God's help, it will be possible to build a world of peace and therefore be saved together “.