In his speech following reciting the prayer, Rejoice, Queen of Heaven, Pope Francis recalls the beatification of God’s servants Leonard Melki and Thomas Saleh and renews the appeal for peace in Ukraine
After reciting the prayer, Rejoice, Queen of Heaven, His Holiness Pope Francis greeted the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square and said, “Dear brothers and sisters, on Easter, God’s dream of God for humanity has become a reality.” Fifty days following Easter, peoples who spoke different languages met and understood each other. But now, a hundred days following the start of the armed aggression once morest Ukraine, the nightmare of war has once more befallen upon mankind, which is the denial of God’s dream: peoples collide, peoples kill each other, and people, instead of getting close to each other, are being driven away from their homes. As the rage of destruction, death and conflict escalates, and fuels an escalation that is increasingly dangerous for all, I renew my appeal to the leaders of nations: Please do not lead humanity to destruction! Please do not lead humanity to destruction! Let real negotiations take place, concrete negotiations for a ceasefire and a sustainable solution. May the desperate cry of the people who suffer – we see it daily in the media – be heard, and human life be respected, and the horrific destruction of towns and villages in eastern Ukraine stops. Please, let us continue to pray and be committed for peace without tiring.
Yesterday, in Beirut, Pope Francis continued, two Capuchin brothers were beatified, Leonard Melki and Thomas Saleh, two martyred priests, who were killed for their faith in Turkey in 1915 and 1917 respectively. These two Lebanese missionaries presented, in an aggressive context, evidence of an unshakable trust in God and a self-denial for the sake of the neighbour. May their example strengthen our Christian witness.
The Holy Father added, “I have been informed with joy that the armistice in Yemen has been renewed for another two months.” I thank God and I thank you. I hope that this sign of hope will be another step to put an end to that bloody conflict, which has spawned one of the worst humanitarian crises of our days. Please never forget to think of the children of Yemen: hunger, destruction, lack of education, lack of everything. Let’s think of the children! I would like to emphasize my prayers for the victims of the landslides caused by the torrential rains that occurred in the Recife region of Brazil. As I express my closeness to the fishermen, let us think of the fishermen who, because of the high cost of fuel, risk going out of business; I also extend my affinity to all classes of workers who suffer greatly from the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine.
