Will not read it. Garbage in.....
Hope the Pope strongly condemns this. To think in this day and age, a person should be killed for believing in Christ.
WTF??
FIRST: BENEDICT XVI
Pope Benedict XVI Condemns Massacre in Syria
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI joined the international community in condemning a massacre in Syria, and he called for Christian and Muslim leaders in the country to guide their faithful in prayer and collaboration to restore peace and calm.
The massacre in Houla May 25-26 left about 108 people dead, including 49 children and 34 women. The U.N. Security Council May 27 condemned the massacre of civilians and, while not pinning all the blame on the Syrian government, it accused the government of inappropriately using heavy weapons in a residential area.
In a statement May 28, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the massacre was “a motive of great sorrow and concern for the Holy Father and the entire Catholic community, as it is for the international community which has expressed unanimous condemnation of the incident.”
“Renewing its appeal for an end to all forms of violence, the Holy See exhorts the parties involved and the entire international community to spare no efforts to resolve this crisis through dialogue and reconciliation,” Father Lombardi said.
The Vatican also said religious leaders and those who believe in God “are called to commit themselves to promoting the peace which is so much sought after, for the good of the whole population.”
The United Nations estimates that about 9,000 civilians have died since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s government began in March 2011.
NOW: POPE FRANCIS (JUNE 6)
Pope Francis has renewed his call for peace in Syria and vowed that the Church will not abandon the country’s people.
In an address to humanitarian groups dealing with the Syrian crisis on Wednesday, prior to his general audience, the Pope said: “In the face of ongoing and overwhelming violence, I strongly renew my appeal for peace.”
He concluded: “May all of you here present tell the beloved people of Syria and the Middle East that the Pope accompanies them and is near to them. The Church will not abandon them!”
The Pope said that the destiny of the people of Syria was ‘close to his heart.’ He said: “The Church feels herself called to give her humble yet concrete and sincere witness to the charity which she has learned from Christ, the Good Samaritan. We know that where there is suffering, Christ is present. We cannot pull back, precisely from those situations where the suffering is greatest.
“Your presence at this coordinating meeting demonstrates your will to faithfully continue this precious work of humanitarian assistance, in Syria and in neighbouring countries which generously receive those who have fled from the war. May your timely and coordinated work be an expression of the communion to which it gives witness, as the recent Synod on the Church in the Middle East suggested.
“To the international community, besides the pursuit of a negotiated solution to the conflict, I ask for the provision of humanitarian aid for the displaced and refugees, and Syrians who have lost their homes, showing in the first place the good of each human person and guarding their dignity. For the Holy See the work of various Catholic charitable agencies is extremely significant: assisting the Syrian population, without regard for ethnic or religious affiliation, is the most direct way to contribute to peace and to the upbuilding of a society open and welcoming to all of its different constituent parts. To this also the Holy See lends its efforts: to the building of a future of peace for a Syria in which everyone can live freely and express themselves in their own particular way.”
Pope Francis added: “My thoughts at this moment also go to the Christian communities who live in Syria and throughout the Middle East. The Church supports the members of these communities who today find themselves in special difficulty. These have the great task of continuing to offer a Christian presence in the place where they were born. And it is our task to ensure that this witness remain there. The participation of the entire Christian community to this important work of assistance and aid is imperative at this time.”
