Armenian refugees flee Nagorno-Karabakh following Azerbaijan's 2023 offensive (AFP or licensors)
Pope Leo hails Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal
At the Sunday Angelus, the Pope makes a heartfelt appeal to
international decision-makers to take responsibility for seeking solutions to
conflicts. He expresses satisfaction over the new peace deal between Armenia
and Azerbaijan, but also deep sorrow for the violence that continues to
devastate Haiti.
By Francesca Sabatinelli
War must be rejected as a “means of resolving conflicts.”
That was the urgent appeal issued by Pope Leo XIV to the international
community and its leaders, delivered following the Sunday Angelus prayer. The
Pope called on leaders to take responsibility and work actively toward peace, a
goal he urged the faithful never to stop praying for.
“Let us continue to pray for an end to all wars,” the Pope
said. The 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he noted,
has stirred a global awakening to the need to firmly reject war as a solution
to conflict. “Those in positions of power must never lose sight of the
consequences their decisions have on people’s lives,” he said. “They must not
ignore the needs of the most vulnerable or the universal longing for peace.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan: A Path to Peace
Pope Leo then pointed to the agreement signed on August
8th by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev as a sign of hope. Their joint declaration, he said, is a
significant step forward and one that “we all hope will contribute to a stable
and lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”
Grief for Haiti
The Pope also turned his attention to the ongoing crisis in
Haiti, expressing deep sorrow over the suffering of a population “increasingly
overwhelmed by despair.” He condemned the country’s widespread “violence of all
kinds, human trafficking, forced displacement, and kidnappings.”
“I make a heartfelt appeal to all responsible parties to
release the hostages immediately,” the Pope said. He also called on the
international community to provide tangible support to help create the social
and institutional conditions “that will allow the Haitian people to live in
peace.”
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