Pope Francis prays for victims of devastating landslides in Wayanad, invites everyone to join him in prayer

During his Angelus address on Sunday (August 4) at Saint Peter's Square, a deeply concerned Pope Francis called for peace in the Middle East, prayed for flood victims in India, and urged dialogue in Venezuela. Speaking about those suffering in landslides, especially in Kerala, the Pope said,"hard hit by torrential rains, which have caused numerous landslides, resulting in loss of life, numerous displaced people, and extensive damage". He invited everyone to join him in prayer, "for those who have lost their lives and for all the people affected by such a devastating calamity."

Also Read: Wayanad landslide: How 18-year-old boy saved two families from tragedy

Pope Francis also prayed for peace in the Middle East. He prayed for all the victims, "especially the innocent children," and "for the people in Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon". He hoped that the conflict in Gaza and Israel, which is "already particularly violent and bloody, does not expand further."

The Pope reminded that violence and killings are not solutions to anything. "Violence will not lead us to the path of justice and peace but will only lead to more hatred and revenge," he said.

"Attacks, even targeted ones, and killings can never be a solution. They do not help to follow the path of justice, the path of peace, but generate even more hatred and revenge. Enough, brothers and sisters! Enough! Do not stifle the word of the God of Peace but let it be the future of the Holy Land, the Middle East, and the entire world! War is a defeat!," he added. 

Meanwhile, 30 people, including children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sunday in Gaza in Palestine. The bombing targeted schools, run as a shelter by the United Nations in the western Gaza city. A Palestinian defense personnel, Mahmoud Basal, said that an F-16 fighter jet struck a school called Hassan Salame, and the neighbouring school, known as Nasser, was affected by shrapnel and debris

Also Read: 'There is a landslide...': Wayanad woman's 1st SOS call alerting world about tragedy before death emerges

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• wayanad landslides
• flood victims
• gaza
• isreali airstrike