Pope Francis on Peace

First and for most I would like to register that I am not an expert on the subject. The intended idea was to write about the unfortunate event of the toddler that washed to the shores on Turkey soil almost two weeks ago. Most people were indeed saddened by the incident which could have been avoided.

However as I was still stuck thinking about the news article and the desperate situation that the civil war was leaving the  Syrian civilians in and most likely in any place where there is war, I continued to listen to the news.

In the midst of all the turmoil the voice of Pope Francis was heard. As he delivered the speech, which I so wish was in English so I could hear word for word, I instead listened to the translator. He called on the church and the Catholic Christians to open their doors to the Syrian refugee’s. It was a big call. He does not end there; he announces how the Vatican will open the door to two families!!!

Those words echo and ring in my head time and again. This is the Pope Francis who was ordained a Jesuit but has elected to follow after St. Francis of Assisi. As a person who follows after Francis, he also decided not to live in the very luxurious apartment where a pope is supposed to live and the recent petition was to pray for the environment.

Now this is a vast and urgent topic; the environment, this is not a religious article but for those who do not know St.Francis of Assisi, he loved the environment and wrote many canticles, to Brother Moon, sister water and the earth. He went on many retreats and in his humility tried to broker peace coming as far as Egypt, where he may have met his illness, although he returned to France.

On the subject of nature and kindness, they went hand in hand for him- as he is said to have had the ability to speak even to the birds and asked them to be silent so he could talk. Therefore Pope Francis is no exception, he too, called in the same path, despite the materialist world that we live and operate in his preaching the one message of love.

Every day we hear of love and speak of it in our every day language and Jesus message was love one another as I have loved you.

Whilst everyone is caught up in the war in Syria, trying to find out who is financing and how far Russia will go to assist, a voice of love is heard, a call for peace, open those doors and give hope to the families fleeing and afflicted by war. Echoing the sentiments of the father of the toddler his words were ‘the world has let us down’ which made headlines around the world; but a few days later, a message of hope was announced. As I write I hope that the message is being put into practice, we can only hope that the faith with which pope Francis spoke will indeed come into play.  Love.

‘Lord make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred let me sow love, where there is injury your pardon Lord, where there is despair hope, where there is doubt faith. Let me not seek so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as understand. To be loved as to love with all my sole’

Many people are familiar with the above canticle as the words are also in a hymn. Which is more like the sermon on the mount…’blessed are the peace maker’s for they shall find peace…’