Before concluding the Mass in Matera, Pope Francis prayed his Sunday Angelus. He joined his prayers with those in Cameroon for the eight people kidnapped in the Diocese of Mamfe.
POPE FRANCIS
I join the appeal of the Cameroonian bishops for the release of eight people kidnapped in the Diocese of Mamfe, including five priests and a religious woman. I pray for them and for the people of the ecclesiastical province of Bamenda.
The Pope also prayed for an increase in the birthrate in Italy and an end to the world's problems, especially remembering the victims of a school bombing in Myanmar.
POPE FRANCIS
This week, I heard the cry of sorrow over the death of children in a school that was bombed. We see that the trend of bombing schools in the world today. May the cry of these little ones not go unheard! These tragedies must not happen!
As the Church also celebrates World Migrant and Refugee Day, the Pope added a challenge to remember all displaced people and to focus on helping them find a home where they can live in peace and with dignity.
KG
