Pope Francis commemorated All Souls Day visiting the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery amongst the remains of 7,861 fallen World War II soldiers and Red Cross nurses buried there.
He prayed for all the deceased victims of war, especially those who lost their lives during the liberation of Sicily and battle of Anzio between 1943 and 1944. Pope Francis reflected on hope amidst times of suffering and loss.
POPE FRANCIS
“Hope often is born and puts its roots in so many human sores, in so much human pain. That moment of sorrow, of plague, of suffering makes us look at Heaven and say, 'I believe my Redeemer lives, but no more, Lord.' That is the prayer that maybe comes out of us all when we look at this graveyard.”
The pope said many times in history, men think that war will solve problems, but instead, it “ends in hell:” and only causes more pain and loss. He once again mentioned the “piecemeal war” that is currently taking place in society.
POPE FRANCIS
“Men do everything to declare and make war. At the end, they destroy themselves. This is war: the destruction of ourselves. Today the world is at war once more and prepares to go ever deeper into war. No more, Lord. With war, all is lost.”
He ended by praying for the dead of today, the victims of war and especially the innocent children who die, saying “the fruit of war is death.”
