In his words after concluding the Angelus prayer on Sunday, from the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace, the pontiff expressed his “hope that the ray of peace that has opened can lead to a ceasefire on all other fronts, especially in Gaza,” said a note from the Holy See press office.

“I hope that it can be respected by all parties, thus allowing the population of the regions affected by the conflict, both Lebanese and Israeli, to quickly regain security in their homes,” said Francis when addressing some 15 thousand faithful and pilgrims gathered on St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican at midday.

Francis also urged Lebanese politicians to “immediately” elect the president of that Arab nation, “and to restore the institutions to normal functioning, in order to proceed with the necessary reforms and guarantee the role of the country as an example of peaceful coexistence between different religions.”

He also referred to the conflict in Ukraine and once again addressed “the international community and every man and woman of good will, to do everything possible to stop this war and make dialogue, brotherhood and reconciliation prevail.”

On the other hand, the Pope lamented the current situation in Syria, “where unfortunately the war has been rekindled causing many victims,” after the terrorist group Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly known as the al Nusra Front, began bombing villages and cities in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib on November 27.

“War is horror, war offends God and humanity, war spares no one, war is always a defeat, a defeat for all humanity!” the Supreme Pontiff reaffirmed today.

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