The Pontiff’s address to the Catholic Charitable Organizations offered encouragement and appreciation for the work that they do in Syria, Iraq and neighbouring countries, but it was also a speech in which the Pontiff made a forceful appeal to the international community asking them “not to neglect the many needs of the victims of this crisis, and above all to set aside special interests in order to be at the service of peace, and to bring an end to war.”
As reported by Vatican news, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “We cannot close our eyes to the reasons that have forced millions of people to leave, painfully, their home countries. At the same time, I encourage all parties involved, and the international community, to renew their commitment to ensuring the safe return of displaced persons to their homes. Ensuring their protection and their future is a demand imposed by civilized behaviour. It will be through drying the tears of children who have seen nothing but ruins, death and destruction that the world will recover its dignity.” Speaking to the representatives gathered in the Vatican’s Consistory Hall, His Holiness Pope Francis told them that the work they were doing with regard to studying the humanitarian aid provided by ecclesial groups, was important to contributing to a better understanding of the needs of these populations and to coordinate aid to them.
Noting the many initiatives the Catholic Charitable Organizations promote, the Pontiff praised in particular “the great project of supporting the return of Christian communities to the Nineveh Plain in Iraq, in a special way through the Open Hospitals project.”
