This Sunday, Pope Francis issued a new call for the protection of civilians, hospitals and places of worship, as well as the release of hostages and guarantees of humanitarian aid in countries at war.
After the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope once again prayed for those affected by the war and remembered Ukraine, Israel and Palestine.
As Christmas approached, Francis asked that “we will be able, with God’s help, to take concrete measures and peaceful steps.”
“We know this is not easy. Some conflicts have deep historical roots, but we also have testimonies of men and women who worked wisely and patiently for peaceful coexistence. Let’s follow their example. We must do everything we can to solve this problem. to eliminate the causes of conflicts,” the Pope said.
Francisco recalled that this Sunday marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“However, when we talk about human rights, let’s protect civilians, hospitals, places of worship, let’s free hostages, and we still have to guarantee humanitarian assistance,” he said.
Regarding the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Pope emphasized that “many steps forward have been taken, but there is still too much to be done, and, unfortunately, sometimes” there has been failure.
“75 years ago, on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed. And they are like a path on which many steps have been taken, but many have not yet been missed,” he said.
The Pope assured that “the commitment to human rights never ends” and therefore wanted to show his closeness to “all those who, without concrete daily statements, fight and speak in the first person, defending the rights of those who are not counted.”
On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted a text that brought together various human rights, starting with life, liberty and security, the first of which is mentioned in Article 3.