Pope to ROACO: “Stop the spiral of war now! War is always a defeat”

By Lisa Zengarini

At his meeting with the Association of Aid Societies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO) on Thursday, Pope Francis reiterated his urgent appeal for peace in the world, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine: “To those who fuel the spiral of conflict and profit from it, I say again: stop! Stop, because violence will never bring peace,” the Pope appealed to the participants of the 97th Plenary Assembly of the Holy See’s humanitarian arm for the Oriental Churches, which ended on Thursday.

Focus on the Middle East and Ukraine

The four-day meetings in the General Curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome focused, among other things, on the dramatic situation in the Holy Land, as well as in Ukraine and Ethiopia. The participants also discussed the pastoral care of the many Eastern Catholics outside their territories.

Martyr Churches

In his address, Pope Francis lamented that many Eastern churches have become “martyred churches.” “Just as the flesh of the Lord was pierced by nails and a lance, so many Eastern churches suffer and bleed because of the conflicts and violence they have to endure,” he said. He referred to the Holy Land and Ukraine, but also to Syria, Lebanon, the entire Middle East, the Caucasus and Tigray in Ethiopia. “It is precisely in these places, where many Eastern Catholics live, that the brutality of war is felt most strongly.”

Hence his renewed appeal for solidarity: “We cannot remain indifferent,” said the Pope, encouraging the members of ROACO to “continue” in their support of the Eastern Catholic Churches and “to help them to remain firmly rooted in the Gospel in these dramatic times.” He also urged the clergy and religious of the Eastern Churches to always be “attentive” to the cries of their flock, to be “exemplary” in the faith, to “place the Gospel above every form of discord or self-interest and to be united in the service of the common good.”

Pope Francis once again warmly thanked the representatives of the various ROACO agencies for “responding to the malign logic of power with the Christian logic of service.” “The seeds you sow in fields poisoned by hatred and war,” he noted, “will be a prophecy of another world, a world that does not believe in the right of the strongest, but in the non-violent power of peace.”

Ceasefire in the Holy Land, immediately!

With particular reference to the dramatic situation in the Holy Land, Pope Francis renewed his appeal to believers around the world to show their closeness to Christians in the Middle East and encourage them to “resist the temptation to leave their countries torn by conflict”.

He stressed the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in the Holy Land and for dialogue to enable the different peoples in that land to live together peacefully. “This is the only possible path to a stable future,” he said. “No one emerges victorious from war, a senseless and fruitless endeavor: in the end, everyone is defeated, because war is always a defeat from the start.”

Pray for peace in Ukraine and free the prisoners!

Pope Francis then turned to war-torn Ukraine: he again called for prayers so that “paths of peace may open for this beloved people, prisoners of war may be released and children may be returned to their homeland”. He also conveyed his “fraternal greetings” to His Holiness Karekin II and to the dear people of Armenia, who are in conflict.

Support for Eastern Christians in the Diaspora

At the end of his address, Pope Francis referred to the many Christians in the East who are fleeing conflict or emigrating in search of work and better living conditions. He recalled the danger that these diaspora communities “lose their religious identity” and the precious “spiritual heritage” of the East is weakened.”

He thanked the Latin dioceses that welcome Eastern Christians and urged them to pay them “special attention” so that they can keep their rites alive and flourishing. He encouraged the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches to work toward this goal, “also by establishing principles and norms that can help Latin bishops to support Eastern Catholics living in the diaspora.”