Pope Francis urges prayers for victims of crises in Venezuela, Myanmar, and Middle East

Rome Newsroom, Aug 4, 2024 / 13:50 pm

Pope Francis on Sunday urged prayers for those suffering in the world due to political conflict, violence, and natural disasters, highlighting humanitarian crises in Venezuela, the Middle East, and Myanmar.

Protests and violence have erupted in cities across Venezuela after citizens headed to the polls one week ago to vote in the country’s controversial presidential elections held on July 28.

The Venezuelan government declared on Monday that President Nicolás Maduro won the election; however, many opposition leaders and citizens continue to contest the results, alleging fraud and corruption against the country’s leader and his party.

“I express my concern for Venezuela, which is experiencing a critical situation. I appeal to all parties to seek the truth and to avoid all kinds of violence, and I ask all those involved to have the good of the people at heart,” the Holy Father said during his Angelus address Aug. 4 from his balcony in the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis also drew attention to escalating violence in the Middle East.

“I follow closely and with great concern with what is happening in the Middle East. I hope that the bloody and violent conflict will end soon. I pray for the victims but in particular for the innocent children,” he said.

The Holy Father expressed his particular closeness with the Druze, an Arab ethno-religious minority, who were targetedin a rocket attack in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in late July.

“​​I express my closeness to the Druze community in the Holy Land and to the people in Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon,” he said.

Pope Francis also addressed the ongoing turmoil in Lebanon. Aug. 4 marked four years since the deadly blast in the Port of Beirut killed more than 220 people and injured some 6,500 people in the capital of Lebanon in 2020. 

According to news site Al Jazeera, the investigation into the actual cause of the blast has been stalled due to “legal and political wrangling.” Authorities claim the explosion was triggered by a fire at a warehouse that stored ammonium nitrate fertilizer.  

“Today the people of Lebanon are suffering. I am thinking of the victims, and the families of victims, of the explosion in Beirut. I pray for justice and for the new beatified [Patriarch Estephan Douaihy] to intercede for this country,” the pope said. 

In his prepared remarks for his Sunday address, Pope Francis stated his hope that the conflict in the Middle East “will not spread even further,” as reports of renewed violence and retaliatory attacks between Israel and Hezbollah and Hamas operatives in the region.

“May we have the courage to pick up dialogue for a cease-fire in Gaza and for hostages to be released. May the people be helped with humanitarian aid,” the pope implored.

“We must pursue a journey of peace and justice. Enough, brothers and sisters! Enough! Do not drown out the voice of the God of peace but let it be heard in the Middle East and in the whole world! War is a defeat,” he added.

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Pope Francis also spoke about the plight of vulnerable populations in two Asian countries — India and Myanmar.

“Let us not forget Myanmar,” he said. “I also express my closeness to the people of India — particularly in Kerala — who have been hit by torrential rains which have caused the loss of lives, numerous displaced people, and extensive damage.”

Pope Francis has addressed the plight of the stateless Rohingya community since he visited Myanmar in 2017 and has often asked those who attend his Sunday Angelus addresses to pray for the persecuted religious minority. 

Since the early 1980s, the Rohingya have been denied citizenship in Myanmar and forced to flee to neighboring countries, such as Bangladesh, to escape violence.

More than 150 people were killed and another 100 people injured last week in Kerala, India, due to the devastation caused by heavy rainfall and flooding. Rescue efforts are still underway as authorities search for those missing following wide-scale landslides in the Wayanad district. 

Last week’s natural disaster is the worst to hit Kerala since the deadly floods of 2018.