Vatican City.- Pope Leo XIV recalled this Wednesday “the children of Ukraine, Gaza and other regions of the world hit by war” and urged the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican to pray for them for the general audience.
“Remember in your prayers and in your humanitarian projects also the children of Ukraine, Gaza and other regions of the world affected by war,” said the pontiff during the greeting to the Polish-speaking faithful.
The Pope mentioned that today is the National Day of Polish Children Victims of War, “which symbolically commemorates their suffering and their contribution to the reconstruction of Poland after the Second World War”.
In his greeting to the faithful of the Arabic language, Leo XIV addressed “in particular those from the Holy Land” and told them: “I invite you to transform your cry in moments of trial and tribulation into a confident prayer, because God always listens to his children and responds at the moment he considers best for us.”
While greeting Spanish-speaking faithful, the American and Peruvian pope urged to “give voice to the sufferings of humanity” so that
“it becomes a source of hope for all”.
Previously, during his catechesis, the Pope appealed to “not give in to cynicism” and “to continue believing that another world is possible”, while assuring that there is no need to be afraid to “shout” everything that is felt.
“In the journey of life, there are moments when repressing everything we feel can slowly consume us. Jesus teaches us not to be afraid to shout, as long as it is sincerely, humbly” because “a shout is never useless if it is born of love”, he underlined
Before adding:
“It’s a way of not giving in to cynicism, of continuing to believe that another world is possible,” because
“shouting is saying that we are here, that we don’t want to be extinguished in silence, that we still have something to offer.”
Despite the bad weather after the strong storms that have hit Rome in the last few hours, the square was packed with faithful, and before the audience began, the Pope toured it aboard the covered Popemobile to greet and bless numerous children.
