ROMA (ITALPRESS) – “The war leaves wounds that extend far beyond the battlefield. Miete vine, dilania families and compels millions of people to escape their homes, thus acuendo the fear, injustice and division” and “it leaves behind also social and ecological destructions that persist for generations.” Thus Pope Leo XIV in a message on the occasion of the XI World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
“The interaction between armed conflicts and environmental degradation often creates a vicious circle that destroys ecosystems, contaminates essential resources such as air and water and compromises food security. This fuels poverty, inequality and new social tensions that can contribute to the emergence of further conflicts,” he continued.
“War creates wounds that damage the entire fabric of life, harming not only individuals and communities, but also their wider network of relationships with the whole human family and their harmony with creation. It reveals a deeper inability to live in the image and likeness of God, to respect life and to take care of the land entrusted to us. It is not only a political failure, but also moral and spiritual failure. Radiated in distorted desires and in the abuse of human freedom and power, war is a counter-witness to the Gospel of peace,” the Pontiff said.
Crisis “requires not only responsibility, but also a conversion of the heart that bears fruit in a deeper fidelity to God, in mutual love and respect for the gift of creation,” he recalls. “To build a society of peace, therefore, we must not only reform structures, but also renew our hearts.”.
For Pope Leo, “the real tools to build peace are not the weapons of destruction, but the truth, dialogue, patience, goodness, justice, mercy, understanding, care and love. These values spring from hearts shaped by the Gospel and supported by the grace of God. Only these qualities possess the power to transform individuals, renew communities and heal the wounds of our world,” he concludes.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
