Pope Francis: "War itself is a crime against humanity"

He said that he had seen Father Ibrahim Faltas, an Egyptian priest who serves as vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, speaking on the Italian television show “A Sua Immagine” (“In His image”) about the importance of “education for peace.”

Pope Francis added that all of humanity is in need of “an education to stop every war.”

“Let us always pray for this grace: to educate for peace,” he said.

During his Angelus address, the 87-year-old pope appeared energetic and read his entire speech without assistance — two days after saying in one of his audiences late last week that he had “a bit of bronchitis.”

Pope Francis speaks from the window of the Apostolic Palace during his Angelus address on Jan. 14, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

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In his reflection on Sunday’s Gospel, the pope spoke about Jesus’ first encounter with his disciples and encouraged everyone to try to think of when they had their first personal encounter with the Lord.

“Each one of us has had a first encounter with Jesus — as a child, as an adolescent, as a young person, as an adult,” he said. “When did I encounter Jesus for the first time? Try to remember this.”

“And after this thought, this memory, renew the joy of following him and to ask ourselves … What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?”

The crowd in St. Peter's Square for the pope's Angelus address on Jan. 14, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis underlined that being a disciple of Jesus requires three things: “to seek Jesus, to remain with Jesus, and to proclaim Jesus.”

“In short, faith is not a theory; it is an encounter,” he said.

“And let us ask ourselves: Are we still disciples in love with the Lord? Do we seek the Lord or do we settle into a faith made up of habits? Do we stay with him in prayer? Do we know how to stay in silence with him? … And then, do we feel the desire to share, to proclaim this beauty of encountering the Lord?”

“May Mary Most Holy, the first disciple of Jesus, give us the desire to seek him, the desire to stay with him, and the desire to proclaim him,” Pope Francis said.

???? VIDEO | Pope Francis during today's Angelus invited us to pray so "that those who have power over these conflicts reflect on the fact that war is not the way to resolve them" and recalled that "people need peace." pic.twitter.com/KWi8yYYCFB

— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) January 14, 2024

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Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.