War is in itself a crime against humanity, says Pope

Pope Francis laments that we -- humanity as a whole -- are not yet educated enough to stop war.

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After praying the midday Angelus this January 14, Pope Francis again spoke out against war.

And let us not forget those who suffer the cruelty of war in so many parts of the world, especially in Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel. At the beginning of the year, we exchanged wishes of peace, but weapons continue to kill and destroy.
Let us pray that those who have power over these conflicts reflect on the fact that war is not the way to resolve them, because it sows death among civilians and destroys cities and infrastructure. In other words, today war is in itself a crime against humanity. Let us not forget this: War is in itself a crime against humanity. Peoples need peace! The world needs peace!
I heard, a few minutes ago, on the program A Sua Immagine, Father Faltas, vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem: He spoke about educating for peace. We must educate for peace. We can see that we – humanity as a whole – are not yet educated enough to stop all war. Let us always pray for this grace: to educate for peace.

“A Sua Immagine” is a program that Pope Francis enjoys, and in fact on March 4, 2023, he received the production team at the Vatican. At the time, he confided that he sometimes watches this Sunday lunchtime program before the Angelus he presides over in St. Peter’s Square: “Before appearing at the window, I like to watch for a few minutes, and at times I have mentioned some content that has particularly struck me.” Pope Francis, who vowed to not watch television some 30 years ago, seems to make something of an exception for this program.

“A Sua Immagine” was launched in October 1997, after a previous religious program, which had been on RAI’s channel since 1954, ended. It is hosted by journalist Lorena Bianchetti and is usually broadcast in two parts on RAI 1, on Saturdays at 4.05 p.m. (Central European Time) and Sundays at 10.30 a.m.

On April 10, 2020, Pope Francis participated live on the program by telephone, sharing his thoughts on the Covid-19 pandemic, the first wave of which brought Italy to a standstill. Bianchetti recognized the Pope’s voice when he called in by surprise.