{"id":15403,"date":"2016-08-07T09:34:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-07T09:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict-98327\/"},"modified":"2016-08-07T09:34:00","modified_gmt":"2016-08-07T09:34:00","slug":"pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope: It’s ‘unacceptable’ that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Vatican City, Aug 7, 2016 \/ 03:34 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- On Sunday, Pope Francis lamented at how many defenseless civilians are forced to \u201cpay the price\u201d of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and he expressed his solidarity for those affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cSadly, news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, especially from Aleppo,\u201d the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus address, delivered to the crowds in St. Peter's Square from the Apostolic palace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unacceptable that many unarmed persons \u2013 even many children \u2013 must pay the price of the conflict,\u201d he said. The price, he said, is that of \u201cclosed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace\u201d on the part of the powerful.<\/p>\n

The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his \u201cSyrian brothers and sisters,\u201d entrusting them to the \u201cmaternal protection of the Virgin Mary.\u201d He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary.<\/p>\n

The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports<\/a>. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year.<\/p>\n

Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day's Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him.<\/p>\n

This invitation presents almsgiving as a \u201cwork of mercy,\u201d the Pope said. Rather than placing \u201cfaith in ephemeral goods,\u201d Jesus invites his disciples to \u201cuse things without attachment or egotism,\u201d according to \u201cthe logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day's Gospel. \u00a0<\/p>\n

He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,\u201d the Pope said.<\/p>\n

Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, \u201cwhich is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.\u201d<\/p>\n

By remaining \u201cready, alert, and committed to the service of others,\u201d he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he \u201cwelcome us to his table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for \u201cvigilance\u201d ahead of the Lord's arrival.<\/p>\n

The Pope also spoke of the third parable of the servant who abuses his power while the master is away; upon the master's return, he is punished.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis scene describes a recurring situation even in our days: so much injustice, violence, and daily evils are born of the idea of\u00a0 acting like the master of the lives of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus today reminds us that the anticipation of eternal beatitude does not exempt us from the responsibility of making the world more just and habitable,\u201d Pope Francis concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, it is this hope of possessing the kingdom in eternity which pushes us to work for the betterment of the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Vatican City, Aug 7, 2016 \/ 03:34 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- On Sunday, Pope Francis lamented at how many defenseless civilians are forced to “pay the price” of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and he expressed his solidarity for those affected.<\/p>\n

“Sadly, news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, especially from Aleppo,” the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus address, delivered to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square from the Apostolic palace.<\/p>\n

“It is unacceptable that many unarmed persons – even many children – must pay the price of the conflict,” he said. The price, he said, is that of “closed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace” on the part of the powerful.<\/p>\n

The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his “Syrian brothers and sisters,” entrusting them to the “maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.” He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary.<\/p>\n

The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports<\/a>. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city.  <\/p>\n

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year.<\/p>\n

Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day’s Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him.<\/p>\n

This invitation presents almsgiving as a “work of mercy,” the Pope said. Rather than placing “faith in ephemeral goods,” Jesus invites his disciples to “use things without attachment or egotism,” according to “the logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.”<\/p>\n

The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day’s Gospel.  <\/p>\n

He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master.<\/p>\n

“It is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,” the Pope said.<\/p>\n

Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, “which is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.”<\/p>\n

By remaining “ready, alert, and committed to the service of others,” he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he “welcome us to his table.”<\/p>\n

“This is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.”<\/p>\n

Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for “vigilance” ahead of the Lord’s arrival.<\/p>\n

The Pope also spoke of the third parable of the servant who abuses his power while the master is away; upon the master’s return, he is punished.<\/p>\n

“This scene describes a recurring situation even in our days: so much injustice, violence, and daily evils are born of the idea of  acting like the master of the lives of others.”<\/p>\n

“Jesus today reminds us that the anticipation of eternal beatitude does not exempt us from the responsibility of making the world more just and habitable,” Pope Francis concluded.<\/p>\n

“Indeed, it is this hope of possessing the kingdom in eternity which pushes us to work for the betterment of the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters.”<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nPope: It's 'unacceptable' that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Aug 7, 2016 \/ 03:34 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- On Sunday, Pope Francis lamented at how many defenseless civilians are forced to “pay the price” of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and he expressed his solidarity for those affected. “Sadly, news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, especially from Aleppo,” the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus address, delivered to the crowds in St. Peter's Square from the Apostolic palace. “It is unacceptable that many unarmed persons – even many children – must pay the price of the conflict,” he said. The price, he said, is that of “closed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace” on the part of the powerful. The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his “Syrian brothers and sisters,” entrusting them to the “maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.” He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary. The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city.   Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year. Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day's Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him. This invitation presents almsgiving as a “work of mercy,” the Pope said. Rather than placing “faith in ephemeral goods,” Jesus invites his disciples to “use things without attachment or egotism,” according to “the logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.” The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day's Gospel.   He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master. “It is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,” the Pope said. Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, “which is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.” By remaining “ready, alert, and committed to the service of others,” he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he “welcome us to his table.” “This is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.” Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for “vigilance” ahead of the Lord's arrival. The Pope also spoke of the third parable of the servant who abuses his power while the master is away; upon the master's return, he is punished. “This scene describes a recurring situation even in our days: so much injustice, violence, and daily evils are born of the idea of  acting like the master of the lives of others.” “Jesus today reminds us that the anticipation of eternal beatitude does not exempt us from the responsibility of making the world more just and habitable,” Pope Francis concluded. “Indeed, it is this hope of possessing the kingdom in eternity which pushes us to work for the betterment of the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters.”\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pope: It's 'unacceptable' that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vatican City, Aug 7, 2016 \/ 03:34 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- On Sunday, Pope Francis lamented at how many defenseless civilians are forced to “pay the price” of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and he expressed his solidarity for those affected. “Sadly, news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, especially from Aleppo,” the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus address, delivered to the crowds in St. Peter's Square from the Apostolic palace. “It is unacceptable that many unarmed persons – even many children – must pay the price of the conflict,” he said. The price, he said, is that of “closed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace” on the part of the powerful. The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his “Syrian brothers and sisters,” entrusting them to the “maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.” He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary. The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city.   Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year. Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day's Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him. This invitation presents almsgiving as a “work of mercy,” the Pope said. Rather than placing “faith in ephemeral goods,” Jesus invites his disciples to “use things without attachment or egotism,” according to “the logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.” The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day's Gospel.   He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master. “It is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,” the Pope said. Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, “which is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.” By remaining “ready, alert, and committed to the service of others,” he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he “welcome us to his table.” “This is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.” Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for “vigilance” ahead of the Lord's arrival. The Pope also spoke of the third parable of the servant who abuses his power while the master is away; upon the master's return, he is punished. “This scene describes a recurring situation even in our days: so much injustice, violence, and daily evils are born of the idea of  acting like the master of the lives of others.” “Jesus today reminds us that the anticipation of eternal beatitude does not exempt us from the responsibility of making the world more just and habitable,” Pope Francis concluded. “Indeed, it is this hope of possessing the kingdom in eternity which pushes us to work for the betterment of the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters.”\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-07T09:34:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Pope_Francis_at_the_Wednesday_general_audience_in_St_Peters_Square_on_June_17_2015_Credit_Bohumil_Petrik_CNA.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/\",\"name\":\"Pope: It's 'unacceptable' that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-07T09:34:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-08-07T09:34:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Vatican City, Aug 7, 2016 \/ 03:34 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- On Sunday, Pope Francis lamented at how many defenseless civilians are forced to “pay the price” of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and he expressed his solidarity for those affected. “Sadly, news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, especially from Aleppo,” the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus address, delivered to the crowds in St. Peter's Square from the Apostolic palace. “It is unacceptable that many unarmed persons – even many children – must pay the price of the conflict,” he said. The price, he said, is that of “closed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace” on the part of the powerful. The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his “Syrian brothers and sisters,” entrusting them to the “maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.” He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary. The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city.   Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year. Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day's Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him. This invitation presents almsgiving as a “work of mercy,” the Pope said. Rather than placing “faith in ephemeral goods,” Jesus invites his disciples to “use things without attachment or egotism,” according to “the logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.” The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day's Gospel.   He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master. “It is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,” the Pope said. Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, “which is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.” By remaining “ready, alert, and committed to the service of others,” he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he “welcome us to his table.” “This is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.” Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for “vigilance” ahead of the Lord's arrival. 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The price, he said, is that of “closed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace” on the part of the powerful. The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his “Syrian brothers and sisters,” entrusting them to the “maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.” He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary. The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city.   Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year. Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day's Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him. This invitation presents almsgiving as a “work of mercy,” the Pope said. Rather than placing “faith in ephemeral goods,” Jesus invites his disciples to “use things without attachment or egotism,” according to “the logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.” The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day's Gospel.   He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master. “It is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,” the Pope said. Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, “which is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.” By remaining “ready, alert, and committed to the service of others,” he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he “welcome us to his table.” “This is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.” Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for “vigilance” ahead of the Lord's arrival. The Pope also spoke of the third parable of the servant who abuses his power while the master is away; upon the master's return, he is punished. “This scene describes a recurring situation even in our days: so much injustice, violence, and daily evils are born of the idea of  acting like the master of the lives of others.” “Jesus today reminds us that the anticipation of eternal beatitude does not exempt us from the responsibility of making the world more just and habitable,” Pope Francis concluded. “Indeed, it is this hope of possessing the kingdom in eternity which pushes us to work for the betterment of the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters.”","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pope: It's 'unacceptable' that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict","og_description":"Vatican City, Aug 7, 2016 \/ 03:34 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- On Sunday, Pope Francis lamented at how many defenseless civilians are forced to “pay the price” of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and he expressed his solidarity for those affected. “Sadly, news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, especially from Aleppo,” the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus address, delivered to the crowds in St. Peter's Square from the Apostolic palace. “It is unacceptable that many unarmed persons – even many children – must pay the price of the conflict,” he said. The price, he said, is that of “closed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace” on the part of the powerful. The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his “Syrian brothers and sisters,” entrusting them to the “maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.” He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary. The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city.   Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year. Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day's Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him. This invitation presents almsgiving as a “work of mercy,” the Pope said. Rather than placing “faith in ephemeral goods,” Jesus invites his disciples to “use things without attachment or egotism,” according to “the logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.” The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day's Gospel.   He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master. “It is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,” the Pope said. Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, “which is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.” By remaining “ready, alert, and committed to the service of others,” he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he “welcome us to his table.” “This is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.” Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for “vigilance” ahead of the Lord's arrival. The Pope also spoke of the third parable of the servant who abuses his power while the master is away; upon the master's return, he is punished. “This scene describes a recurring situation even in our days: so much injustice, violence, and daily evils are born of the idea of  acting like the master of the lives of others.” “Jesus today reminds us that the anticipation of eternal beatitude does not exempt us from the responsibility of making the world more just and habitable,” Pope Francis concluded. “Indeed, it is this hope of possessing the kingdom in eternity which pushes us to work for the betterment of the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters.”","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2016-08-07T09:34:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Pope_Francis_at_the_Wednesday_general_audience_in_St_Peters_Square_on_June_17_2015_Credit_Bohumil_Petrik_CNA.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/","name":"Pope: It's 'unacceptable' that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-08-07T09:34:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-08-07T09:34:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Vatican City, Aug 7, 2016 \/ 03:34 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- On Sunday, Pope Francis lamented at how many defenseless civilians are forced to “pay the price” of the ongoing Syrian crisis, and he expressed his solidarity for those affected. “Sadly, news of civilian victims of war continues to arrive from Syria, especially from Aleppo,” the Pope said during his weekly post-Angelus address, delivered to the crowds in St. Peter's Square from the Apostolic palace. “It is unacceptable that many unarmed persons – even many children – must pay the price of the conflict,” he said. The price, he said, is that of “closed hearts and the absence of the desire for peace” on the part of the powerful. The pontiff expressed his closeness in prayer and solidarity to his “Syrian brothers and sisters,” entrusting them to the “maternal protection of the Virgin Mary.” He then invited the crowds in a moment of prayerful silence, before leading them in the Hail Mary. The city of Aleppo has been under a weeks-long siege by Syrian government forces, although rebel fighters have announced that they have put an end to it, the BBC reports. Around 250,000 are estimated to have been living in the besieged city.   Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced over the course of the civil war between Syrian and government forces, which is currently in its fifth year. Before leading the crowds in the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis shared some reflections on the day's Gospel readings, during which Jesus invites his disciples to sell all their belongings and follow him. This invitation presents almsgiving as a “work of mercy,” the Pope said. Rather than placing “faith in ephemeral goods,” Jesus invites his disciples to “use things without attachment or egotism,” according to “the logic of God, the logic of attentiveness to others, the logic of love.” The pontiff then turned to the parables on the theme of vigilance as recounted in the day's Gospel.   He began with the first parable about servants needing to always be prepared for the return of their master. “It is happiness to wait for the Lord with faith, to stay ready, in an attitude of service,” the Pope said. Noting how the parable is set at night, Pope Francis explained how the scene is like a vigil, “which is a prelude to the bright day of eternity.” By remaining “ready, alert, and committed to the service of others,” he said, the Lord will invite us to be served upon his return, and he “welcome us to his table.” “This is already the case every time we meet the Lord in prayer, or in serving the poor, and above all in the Eucharist, where he prepares a banquet to nourish us with his Word and his Body.” Pope Francis reflected briefly on the parable of the unexpected coming of the thief, and the demand for “vigilance” ahead of the Lord's arrival. The Pope also spoke of the third parable of the servant who abuses his power while the master is away; upon the master's return, he is punished. “This scene describes a recurring situation even in our days: so much injustice, violence, and daily evils are born of the idea of  acting like the master of the lives of others.” “Jesus today reminds us that the anticipation of eternal beatitude does not exempt us from the responsibility of making the world more just and habitable,” Pope Francis concluded. “Indeed, it is this hope of possessing the kingdom in eternity which pushes us to work for the betterment of the conditions of earthly life, especially of our weakest brothers and sisters.”","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/pope-its-unacceptable-that-civilians-must-pay-the-price-of-syrian-conflict\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pope: It’s ‘unacceptable’ that civilians must pay the price of Syrian conflict"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15403\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}