A magisterium for peace and against
hypocrisy
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| Pope Francis prays at the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis expresses his support for the UN resolution for
a global and immediate ceasefire, which would bring relief to people at war and
enable them to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
By Andrea Tornielli
In recent days, the United Nations Security Council has
approved a resolution calling for “an immediate cessation of hostilities in all
situations for at least 90 consecutive days”, in order to guarantee
humanitarian assistance for the affected populations, and to counter the
devastating consequences of the spread of Covid-19.
Pope Francis, with his intervention at the conclusion of the
Angelus on Sunday, desired to lend his support to the initiative, hoping that
the global ceasefire would be observed “effectively and promptly”. The Pope's
initiative represents a new step on a long road — a step made even more urgent
by the crisis caused by the pandemic, whose most devastating consequences, on a
par with those of wars, fall on the poorest.
On Sunday, 29 March, the Pope had already made this request,
supporting the appeal made five days earlier by the Secretary-General of the
United Nations. António Guterres had called for a “global and immediate
ceasefire in all corners of the world”, recalling the Covid-19 emergency, which
knows no borders. Pope Francis had associated himself “with those who have
welcomed this appeal” and had invited “everyone to follow it by ceasing all
forms of hostility, promoting the creation of humanitarian aid routes, openness
to diplomacy, and attentiveness to those who are in situations of great
vulnerability.”
The Pope had expressed his hope that the joint commitment
against the pandemic, “might bring everyone to recognize the great need to
reinforce brotherly and sisterly bonds as members of a single human
family." In particular, he said, “May it inspire a renewed commitment to
overcome rivalries among the leaders of nations and the parties involved.
Conflicts cannot be resolved through war! Antagonism and differences must be
overcome through dialogue and a constructive search for peace.”
Pope Francis, in the following weeks, had returned twice
more to lament the costs of conflict. In the homily for
the Easter Vigil, celebrated in St. Peter's, he said: “Let us silence the cries
of death, no more wars! May we stop the production and trade of weapons,
since we need bread, not guns”. Pope Francis desired to recall once again this
theme, which has been a constant theme of his pontificate, in the longer of the
two Marian
prayers suggested to the faithful to be prayed at the conclusion of
the Rosary in the month of May: “Support national leaders, that with wisdom,
solicitude and generosity they may come to the aid of those lacking the basic
necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by
farsightedness and solidarity. Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that
the enormous funds invested in developing and stockpiling arms will instead be
spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from
occurring in the future.”
Several times and on different occasions, in previous years,
Pope Francis had denounced “the hypocrisy” and “sin” of the leaders of those
countries that “speak of peace and sell weapons to make these wars” — words he
also repeated on his return from
the last international journey before the outbreak of the pandemic, the one to
Thailand and Japan: “In Nagasaki and Hiroshima I paused in prayer; I met some
survivors and relatives of victims, and I renewed my firm condemnation of
nuclear weapons and the hypocrisy of talking about peace while building and
selling weaponry.”
According to an Oxfam report, in 2019 global military
spending reached two trillion dollars, and currently there are two billion
human beings trapped in countries at war, exhausted by violence, persecution,
famine — and now, the pandemic emergency.
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