Pope’s Message to Europe: “Not Enough Courageous Ways to Peace”

Pope Francis is in Portugal on the occasion of World Youth Day, which is taking place these days in Lisbon.

In his opening speech, the Holy Father spoke about Europe and the West, putting forward the message of peace from the westernmost capital of the Old Continent. On this occasion, he encouraged Europe to take on more obligations in order to find a way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

“I hope that World Youth Day will become for the ‘old continent’ – one might say, the ‘aged’ continent – an impulse of universal openness that could make it younger. Because the world needs Europe, the real Europe – a bridge and a peacemaker in its eastern part, in the Mediterranean, in Africa, and in the Middle East. Thus, Europe will be able to bring to the international arena its specific originality, which arose in the last century, when a spark of reconciliation burst out of the crucible of world conflicts, enacting the dream of building tomorrow together with yesterday’s enemy, of starting the path to dialogue, the path to inclusion, developing a peace diplomacy that defuses conflicts, eases tensions, and is capable of picking up the slightest signs of relaxation and reading between the crooked lines.”

The peace missions of Cardinal Zuppi, who has been in Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks, have not yet yielded results, so Pope Francis calls on Europe to take the path of peace resolutely and courageously.

“In the ocean of history, we are sailing through turbulent times, and there is a lack courageous ways to peace. Looking with heartfelt love at Europe, in the spirit of a distinctive dialogue, one may ask: where are you sailing if you do not offer ways of peace, constructive ways to end the war in Ukraine and the many conflicts that are bleeding the world? And again, expanding the field, the begging question to the West is: which route are you following?”