Pope Francis on Monday expressed the hope that the
conflict in Syria “will finally come to an end this year” and that this
month’s Geneva 2 conference would mark the beginning of a peace process. The pope made that observation in the context of the traditional papal address given each January to the diplomatic corps in the Holy See.
In
what was a ‘state-of-the-world’ address, the pope touched on a vast
range of subjects that included hunger, climate change, migration, the
persecution of Christians in Africa and the Middle East as well as
conflict and social unrest not only in Syria but also in the Central
African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Egypt and Iraq.
Recalling
that 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the first World War, he said
that even today “the moral force of law” must prevail over the “material
force of arms” if mankind is to avoid the “needless carnage” that
marked the war.
Peace process
Looking
to the year ahead “with confidence”, the pope has this to say in
relation to Syria: “I continue to be hopeful that the conflict in Syria
will finally come to an end . . . What is presently needed is a renewed
political will to end the conflict. In this regard I express my hope
that the Geneva 2 conference, to be held on January 22nd, will mark the
beginning of the desired peace process.”
One of
the key moments in the forthcoming papal year will be the pope’s
pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May. In that context he welcomed “the
resumption of peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis” and called
on both parties to “take courageous decisions aimed at finding a just
and lasting solution”.
He added: “I myself intend
to make a pilgrimage of peace to the Holy Land in the course of the
year. The exodus of Christians from the Middle East and North Africa
continues to be a source of concern. They want to be a part of the
social, political and cultural life of countries which they helped to
build.”
Iran dialogue
While the pope
bemoaned tensions in the Middle East, in particular in Lebanon and
Egypt, he also acknowledged “the significant progress made in the
dialogue between Iran and the group of five plus one on the nuclear
issue”.
He said, however, that peace remained threatened by “by every denial of human dignity”, in particular by hunger.
“We
cannot be indifferent to those suffering from hunger, especially
children, when we think of how much food is wasted every day in many
parts of the world immersed in what I have often termed the throwaway
culture,” he added.
Finally, as he reflected on
Italy’s “boat people” problem, highlighted by last October’s tragedy off
the island of Lampedusa, the pope expressed the hope that
austerity-plagued Italy would “overcome present difficulties and regain
its long standing climate of constructive social creativity”.