Pope
Francis appealed for peace in Syria on Wednesday, offering prayers for
leaders and policy experts gathering in Switzerland for a conference
aimed at working toward a resolution of the Syrian civil war that has
claimed more than 100 thousand lives and driven millions of people from
their homes.
Speaking
at the end of his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis said, “I ask
the Lord to touch the hearts of all [parties and participants], that,
looking only to the greater good of the so sorely tried Syrian people,
they might spare no effort to reach as quickly as possible the cessation
of violence and the end of the conflict, which has already caused too
much suffering.”
The Holy Father went on to say, “I hope for
dear nation of Syria [that it undertake] with conviction the path of
reconciliation, concord and reconstruction with the participation of all
citizens, in which everyone can find in the other, not an enemy, not a
rival, but a brother to welcome and embrace.”
The “Geneva 2” international conference for peace in Syria opens Today, Wednesday, January 22nd, in Montreaux, Switzerland, with negotiations to continue in Geneva starting on Friday, January 24th.