Pope Francis today called for peace in Ukraine again and recalled those who are “under the bombardment of this sacrilegious war”, during the Angelus prayer after the mass celebrated by Floriana before 20,000 people, on the second day of his visit to Malta.
The pontiff asked for prayers for peace and for the humanitarian tragedy in the hard-hit Ukraine. “Let us not tire of praying and helping those who suffer,” he added.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began more than a month ago, the Pope has not stopped making calls for an end to the conflict and has shown the availability of the Holy See to “do everything” necessary for it, such as mediating in the negotiations. Furthermore, at the beginning of this trip, Francis opened up the possibility of going to kyiv, with all the difficulties that this would entail: “Yes, it is on the table”, he replied as to whether he would accept the invitation to go to the Ukrainian capital .
Special request for refugees
Pope Francis prayed Sunday for the world to show more kindness and compassion towards the refugees by paying homage in Malta to the shipwrecked Saint Paul and meets with migrants who, like the apostle, arrived on the Mediterranean island and were received.
Francis opened his second and final day in Malta by visiting St. Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, where the disciple stayed after being shipwrecked en route to Rome in AD 60. According to the biblical account of the time, the Maltese people showed Paul unusual kindness, and he responded by preaching and healing, bringing Christianity to the islands.
“No one knew their names, their place of birth or their social status; They only knew one thing: that these were people who needed help,” Francis said in a prayer. “Help us to recognize those in need from afar, fighting in the midst of the waves of the sea, thrown against the reefs of unknown coasts.”
The 85-year-old pope repeatedly struggled to walk and get up from his chair, evidence of knee pain that has apparently become more pronounced on the journey. However, Francis persevered, and while in the golden basilica he rose from his chair to bless someone in a wheelchair.
Francis has used his two-day visit to Malta to drive home his call for Europe to show the same welcome to migrants and refugees that the Maltese showed Saint Paul. He has expanded on that message to express his gratitude for the welcome Europe has shown to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian war and his hope that the same generosity can be extended to others.
Today’s Malta has long been at the center of the European debate on refugee policy. The country of half a million people is frequently criticized by aid groups for refusing to allow rescue ships to dock in its ports; The government argues that it has one of the highest rates in the EU in processing first-time asylum applications relative to population, and says other larger European countries should do more to shoulder the burden.
Just this week, a German aid group urged Malta to take in 106 migrants rescued off Libya; Malta resisted and on Saturday the mayor of Palermo, Sicily, said the city was ready to welcome them.
Arriving in Valletta on Saturday, Francis thanked Malta for the welcome it has shown to new arrivals, and criticized the European Union policy that trains the Libyan coast guard to return smuggled migrants to the coast. . Human rights groups have documented serious abuses in Libyan detention centers where returned migrants are housed.
“Civilized countries cannot approve in their own interest sordid agreements with criminals who enslave other human beings,” Francis said.
Francis wrapped up his trip with an open-air mass Sunday in Valletta and an afternoon visit to a volunteer-run shelter that can house about 50 migrants and provide them with educational and medical services. Most of its current occupants come from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan and made the dangerous Mediterranean crossing from Libya.
The mass drew some 20,000 people, many waving the yellow and white Vatican and some Ukrainian flags as the pope approached the Floriana field in his popemobile, sitting down for some of the greetings instead of standing.
The trip, while short, has been particularly taxing for the 85-year-old pontiff, who is suffering from painful ligament strains in his right knee. He had to use an elevator to get on and off the plane and his limping gait from sciatica has been so pronounced that he has frequently had to hold on to an assistant’s arm. Arriving at the mass site on Saturday, he had great difficulty getting up from his popemobile chair.
(with information from AP)
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Source-www.infobae.com