Pope Francis welcomes cease-fire in Lebanon

ISTANBUL

Pope Francis welcomed the cease-fire agreement reached in Lebanon on Nov. 27 in his traditional Sunday prayer from the window of his office overlooking St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

“I hope that the glimmer of peace that has emerged can lead to a cease-fire on all other fronts,” he said.

Pope Francis also expressed his concern for other areas of the world in conflict, including Gaza, Syria, and Ukraine. He shared his deep concern for the release of Israeli hostages and petitioned once again that “humanitarian aid to the exhausted Palestinian population” be available, according to Vatican news.​​​​​​​

The pope called for efforts to provide aid and hope to those living in war-torn countries. “The pursuit of peace is not the responsibility of a few but of all,” he stated, because if “desensitization and indifference to the horrors of war prevail, all of humanity is defeated.”

*Writing by Efe Ozkan​​​​​​​