Pope Francis asked for a prayer “for unity and peace in Italy”, on the first day of the government of Giorgia Meloni, sworn in this Saturday as Italian Prime Minister by the President of the Republic.
“Today, at the beginning of a new government, let us pray for the unity and peace of Italy,” Francis asked at the Angelus prayer this Sunday.
The leader of the Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, received this Sunday from former Prime Minister Mario Draghi the symbolic bell that ends the transfer of powers ceremony and concludes her ratification as Prime Minister of the country, the first woman to hold a position. in the history of Italy.
The new far-right Italian government was formed thanks to the support of the League and Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi’s party.
The Pope also shared his concern about the “persistent” situation of conflict in Ethiopia and stressed that “violence does not resolve disagreements, it only adds tragic consequences”, for which he appealed “to those who have political responsibilities to stop the suffering of unarmed populations and find just solutions for lasting peace in the country”.
The Vatican head of state also lamented the floods that have occurred in recent days in Africa. According to the humanitarian organization UNICEF, in the case of Nigeria, more than 2.5 million people need humanitarian aid, with 1.3 million children displaced. At least 600 people died.
“I am close to the millions of displaced people and I hope for a greater common commitment to avoid these situations,” Francis defended.
The head of the Catholic Church also praised the example of the 12 Spanish Redemptorists beatified on Saturday, killed in 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, and asked that their example encourage consistency.
“Yesterday [sábado] In Madrid, Vicente Renuncio Toribio and 11 other companions of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, murdered out of hatred for the faith in 1936 in Spain, were beatified,” he recalled.
“May the example of these testimonies of Christ, even the shedding of blood, encourage us to be consistent and courageous”, he added, expressing his wish that it serve as support “to all those who today find it difficult to spread the Gospel in the world” .
Francis ended by calling for “applause for the new Blesseds” from the faithful listening in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, presided this Saturday, at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, at the beatification of the 12 religious murdered in the first months of the Civil War.
Source: TSF
