photo: vaticannews.va
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis is praying for the victims of the landslides in Ethiopia. He laments that while misery and hunger continue around the world, the production and sale of weapons fuel wars and human suffering. He also recalls today's World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly and calls on all to always remember and help them.
Ethiopian church on the frontline of landslide relief
Speaking at the end of Sunday's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of a massive landslide that swept through a village in southern Ethiopia. He said he was close to the suffering people and the rescue workers who are providing aid. The death toll from two devastating landslides in the Gofa zone in southern Ethiopia continues to rise and the affected people are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. 257 people have been killed in the two landslides. The first landslide in the remote mountain locality of Kencho Shacha Gozdi was triggered by heavy rains on 21 and 22 July, and the second overwhelmed those gathered to rescue people.
War is always a defeat
Celebration of grandparents and the elderly: "Do not reject me in my old age". The Pope pointed out how many people in the world are suffering from disasters and hunger, yet the production and sale of weapons continues, fueling wars large and small and consuming the world's resources. He described this as a "scandal" that should not be tolerated by the international community, and as contrary to the spirit of fraternity that characterises the Olympic Games, which have just opened in Paris. He stressed that "war is a defeat" for humanity.
Remembering grandparents and seniors
The Pope then recalled that Sunday, July 28, is World Grandparents and Older Persons Day, which has the theme "Cast me not away in my old age" from the Book of Psalms. He declared that the abandonment of the elderly is a sad reality that needs to be addressed, especially in the summer when loneliness often becomes a heavy burden to bear.
He asked everyone to hear the voice of the elderly saying: "Don't leave me!", and to answer them: "I won't leave you!". He also called for a stronger alliance between grandchildren and grandparents, young and old, adding that we should all say "no." loneliness of the elderly, because our future also depends on grandparents and grandchildren learning to live together. He concluded by asking everyone to always remember the elderly and applauded all the grandparents.
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