Pope condemns "massacre" of women and children in Gaza

By Francesca Merlo

As the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square on Friday, All Saints' Day, Pope Francis, once again offered and asked for prayers for peace in the world. 

A prayer for the victims of war

As he often does, Pope Francis turned his thoughts to Ukraine, to Myanmar, and to South Sudan before asking for peace in the Middle East. "Brothers and sisters, war is always a defeat, always!" said the Pope. He described warfare as being "ignoble", explaining that "it is the triumph of lies and of falsehood, seeking maximum gain for oneself and maximum harm for the adversary, trampling on human lives, the environment, infrastructure—everything; and all masked by lies".

Pope Francis added that in warfare countless innocent lives are lost, and turned his thoughts in particular to "the 153 women and children massacred in recent days in Gaza".

Closeness to victims of a terror attack in Chad

Pope Francis then turned his thoughts to victims of a recent attack in Chad. Fourty soldiers were killed on the 27th of October when members of the jihadist group Boko Haram attacked an army base near the Nigerian border. The Pope expressed his closeness to the victims and to their families.

Prayers for victims of Valencia's storm

The Pope also asked for prayers for the people of the Iberian Peninsula, and especially for Valencian community, devastated by the “DANA” storm. The Pope prayed "for the deceased and their loved ones, and for all the families affected", adding "may the Lord support those who suffer and those who bring relief. Our closeness to the people of Valencia".