Pope Francis reiterated his call for world peace, emphasizing that no religion should incite hatred and violence.
Addressing representatives of the Afghan Community Association in Italy on August 7, the Holy Father reflected on Afghanistan's history of warfare, instability, and cultural divisions.
“The religious factor, by its very nature, should help soften the harshness of contrasts and create space for everyone to be granted full citizenship rights on an equal footing and without discrimination,” the pope stated. He stressed that no one should invoke the name of God to “foment contempt, hatred, and violence towards others.”
Pope Francis echoed his message from the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, which he signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
“Religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility, and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood. These tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings,” he recalled.
He encouraged the delegates, who support the integration of Afghan refugees into Italian society, to continue promoting religious harmony and intercultural dialogue. “This is no easy journey, which sometimes suffers setbacks; but, if you truly wish to do good for the community and foster peace, it is the only possible path and needs to be pursued with courage and perseverance,” the pope said.
The Holy Father emphasized the importance of adopting a culture of dialogue and mutual understanding in Afghanistan, a nation of diverse cultures and traditions.
“It is my fervent hope that these standards will become a common heritage and so influence people’s thinking and behavior, so that the principles are not only appreciated and shared abstractly but concretely and effectively applied,” he said.
Pope Francis highlighted the ongoing discrimination against the Pashtun ethnic group in Pakistan, expressing hope that such biases would end.
He shared an inspiring example of religious fraternity from Africa, where Muslims and Catholics exchange gifts during special occasions and festivals.
Later that day, the Holy Father called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, starting with Gaza.
He also invited the faithful to pray for war-torn Ukraine, Myanmar, and Sudan.
“I pray that the sincere search for peace will extinguish strife, love will overcome hatred, and vengeance will be disarmed by forgiveness,” he said.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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