Francis once again called for peace in a world drenched in blood. He devoted a special thought to "Europe, Palestine, Ukraine", as well as Sudan and Mozambique, where violence is intensifying in the Cabo Delgado region. As Lent begins, he calls on the faithful to devote time to "silence" and "prayer".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – On the first Sunday of Lent, in his address after the recitation of today’s Angelus, Pope Francis invited those who are listening to “dedicate themselves to peace in a concrete way”, heart and mind.

As he has said before, he said: "Let us not forget: war is a defeat, always”. In fact, “Wherever there is warfare, the populations are exhausted, they are tired of war, which is always pointless and inconclusive, and brings only death, only destruction, and will never lead to the solution to problems.”

The pontiff turned his thoughts to the conflicts that are causing bloodshed in "many parts of the world", places like “Europe, Palestine, Ukraine," and the African continent.

After the Marian prayer, the Holy Father spoke about the ten months of “armed conflict in Sudan”, which broke out on 15 April 2023, pitting Sudan’s regular army against the RSF paramilitary group.

The war in that country has created a “very grave humanitarian situation," which has cost thousands of lives, especially among civilians, as well as the flight of almost seven million people, leaving the African country with the largest number of internally displaced people in the world.

“I once again ask the conflicting parties to stop this war, which inflicts a great deal of harm to the people and the future of the country," Francis said. He called for prayers so that “paths of peace can be found soon, to build the future of dear Sudan.”

To commit to peace, at the start of the Lenten journey, Francis called on the faithful to entrust themselves to prayer, "tirelessly" because it “is effective".

The Holy Father also spoke about Mozambique, where "violence against defenceless populations, the destruction of infrastructure, and insecurity are again rampant” in the northern Cabo Delgado region.

Reflecting a rising wave of attacks against churches and Christian sites around the world, a local Catholic mission, Our Lady of Africa, in Mazeze, in Cabo Delgado, was recently set on fire. “Let us pray for peace to return to that tormented region," Pope Francis said,

A delegation representing protesting farmers was present in a sun-filled St Peter's Square packed with faithful and pilgrims. The protest movement has spread across Europe over the past few weeks.

“I greet the growers and livestock farmers in the square," Francis said from the window of the Apostolic Palace.

The group, which brought the pope some agricultural products like flour and tools used in the fields, addressed a letter to the Holy See: "The Vatican and the Pope must give voice to our problems. We are here in a symbolic way."

Before the Angelus, the pontiff commented the Gospel of the day (Mk 1:12-15), which speaks about Jesus who goes into the desert for 40 days where he is “tempted by Satan”.

“We too, during Lent, are invited to ‘enter the wilderness’,” he said. Such an experience means living in “silence, in the inner world, listening to the heart, in contact with the truth."

Jesus in the wilderness "was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him" (v. 13). Starting from this, Pope Francis explained what are, symbolically, the beasts and angels that keep people company.

In our spiritual life, the beasts can be thought of as "the disordered passions that divide the heart, trying to take possession of it.” Among these, Francis cited the "coveting for wealth," "the vanity of pleasure," and "the craving for fame." For the Holy Father, “They are like ‘wild’ beasts, and as such they must be tamed and fought; otherwise, they will devour our freedom.”

As for the angels, some are “God’s messengers, who help us, who do us good," the pope explained. They stand as the opposite of possession.

“The angelic spirits instead recall the good thoughts and sentiments suggested by the Holy Spirit. … [G]ood divine inspirations unify us and let us enter into harmony: they quench the heart, infuse the taste of Christ, ‘the flavour of Heaven’,” Francis said.

At this time of Lent, the pope urged the faithful to devote themselves to "silence and prayer”, especially this year, as preparations get underway for the Jubilee dedicated to prayer; this calls for “communities and faithful to dedicate specific moments to gather themselves in the presence of the Lord.”

Finally, Francis ended saying that this afternoon he was going to start spiritual exercises "together with the collaborators of the Curia."

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