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“At this time our souls are once again shocked by the sad news of deplorable acts of terrorism and violence, which have caused pain and death”. At the Angelus on Sunday morning, 24 July, Pope Francis prayed for victims of the “tragic events”, as he
himself defined what took place in Munich, Germany, and Kabul, Afghanistan, where “many innocent people have lost their lives”. Ensuring his closeness to the “families of the victims and the wounded”, he invited the faithful gathered in St Peter”s Square to join in his prayer “that the Lord will inspire in everyone resolutions of goodness and fraternity”.
Pope Francis explained that “the more insurmountable the difficulties seem, and the darker the prospects of security
and peace, the more insistent our prayer must be”. In a telegram that he previously sent in German, which was signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and addressed to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, the Pope stated that he had been sad to learn of the news of the violent incident that occurred in the Bavarian city, where many people,
including young people, were killed and many more seriously injured. Sharing in the grief of the survivors and expressing his closeness to the suffering, in the Pope”s message of condolence he entrusted the dead to God”s mercy, and expressed his deepest sympathy to all those who have been affected by this attack,
while thanking the rescue teams and law enforcement officers for their attentive and generous commitment.
Thanks to the immediacy of social networking, on Saturday evening, 23 July, the Pope had published on his Instagram account
@Franciscus: “I pray for all victims of terrorism in the world. Please, no more terrorism! It is a dead-end street!”. The image shows the Pope”s hands clasped in prayer.
But signs of hope are also emerging as a counterpoint to the current oppressive atmosphere: first of all the joy of young people from all continuents who are beginning to gather together in Krakow, where the 31st World Youth Day will begin later this week. “I too will leave on Wednesday”, Pope Francis said at the conclusion of the Angelus, “in order to meet these young people and to celebrate, with them and for them, the Jubilee
of Mercy, with the intercession of St John Paul II”.
