Pope Francis of the Vatican indicated today that it is "painful" to witness the collapse of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas. He urged all parties involved to reach a new agreement for a ceasefire as soon as possible. He also mentioned that he is thinking of those still held captive in Gaza and the lack of basic necessities in the Palestinian territories.
One of the Pope's assistants, who is suffering from pneumonia, read his message during the Sunday sermon, which was delivered indoors from his residence in the Vatican instead of from the window overlooking St. Peter's Square.
On another note, the Pope emphasized the necessity for all religions worldwide to unite against the "greedy" destruction of the environment. He stated, "Religions, as the conscience of humanity, remind us that we are limited creatures, yet we yearn for the unlimited and the infinite." He pointed out that the faith wing is the first of its kind at one of the United Nations climate change conferences.
He continued, "Yes, we are perishable and we have limits, and preserving life also means resisting the delirium of absolute greedy power that is destroying the planet." The Pope asserted that religions must "act. Working for the environment is urgent," and must teach their followers that "we must change our way of living, and therefore, we must educate generations on contented and fraternal lifestyles. This is an essential task for religions."
The 86-year-old Pope intended to lead a Vatican delegation at the opening of the faith wing at the United Nations climate change conference (COP 28) in Dubai, but his pneumonia forced him to remain in the Vatican. In his keynote speech at the conference yesterday, Francis reiterated his call for the elimination of fossil fuels.
