At the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo prays for victims of conflicts in Nigeria, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
By Joseph Tulloch
Pope Leo prayed on Sunday for the victims of a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria.
Around 200 people were “brutally killed” in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June – most of them internally displaced persons “sheltered by the local Catholic mission”.
Speaking just before delivering the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope prayed for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria, adding that he was thinking in particular of the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence”.
Responding to the attack, Amnesty International Nigeria on Saturday called on Nigerian authorities to “immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to justice”.
Sudan
The Pope’s thoughts then turned to Sudan, which has been in the grip of a civil war for over two years.
Pope Leo said he had been informed of the death of the Rev. Luke Jumu, parish priest of El Fasher in the country’s southwest, who is reported to have been killed in a recent bombing.
“While I offer my prayers for him and for all the victims,” the Pope said, “I renew my appeal to the combatants to stop, to protect civilians, and to embark on a path of dialogue for peace.” He then urged the international community to “intensify” its efforts to provide humanitarian aid to a population which is “severely affected” by the ongoing crisis.
Pope Leo also extended his prayers for peace to the Middle East – where a major conflict has broken out between Israel and Iran – and also to Ukraine and Myanmar.
Noting that conflict has continued in Myanmar despite the recent temporary ceasefire, the Pope called for combatants to take “the path of inclusive dialogue” – the only one, he said, “that can lead to a peaceful and stable resolution”.
Floribert Bwana Chui
Following his appeals for peace, Pope Leo turned to Floribert Bwana Chui, a young border guard from the Democratic Republic of Congo martyred in 2007 for refusing to allow a shipment of spoiled rice, which would have endangered the public health, into the country.
Chui was killed, the Pope said, because, “as a Christian, he opposed injustice and defended the little ones and the poor.”
Pointing out that Chui will be beatified later today, the Pope expressed his hope that Chui’s example might “give courage and hope to the youth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and of all Africa”.
Sport as a ‘path to peace’
The Pope’s words came at the conclusion of the Mass for the Jubilee of Sport.
Before his appeals for peace, he had greeted pilgrims who had came to Rome for the Jubilee, describing them as “athletes of every age and from every background”.
Pope Leo said he wanted to emphasise that sport is “a school of respect and fairness” and therefore “a path to peace, … encounter, and fraternity”.
