Vatican City
Reuters
Pope Francis on Sunday urged respect for civilians in conflict areas and said people were tired of wars, which he called a “disaster for the peoples and a defeat for humanity”.
After his weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, the Pope said humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow in Myanmar and said the population must be respected also in the Middle East, hit by the war between Israel and Hamas. He also mentioned the suffering of people in Ukraine.
Pope Francis attends the Angelus prayer at the Vatican, on 14th January, 2024. PICTURE: Vatican Media/Handout via Reuters/File photo
The Myanmar military, which overthrew an elected government in 2021, has been battling an alliance of ethnic minority armies fighting to end its control of their regions since late October.
Francis also said he learned “with relief” that a group of people including six nuns, had been freed in Haiti after nearly a week in captivity. Last week, he had called for their release.
Meanwhile, a man carrying a knife was arrested on Sunday during routine checks of people heading towards St Peter’s Square, a police spokesperson said, on the day the Pope gives his weekly address to the crowds.
The spokesperson said the man was a 51-year-old Italian who underwent checks in the morning in Via della Conciliazione, a road leading up to the St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
In a confrontation to disarm the man, one officer reported being lightly injury, police said.
The spokesperson added that there was no evidence suggesting the man was carrying the knife for terrorism-related purposes and he was arrested on charges of injuring and resisting an officer.
Ansa news agency reported that the arrested man suffered from a mental disorder.
