Pope, refugees and religious leaders pray for peace in Assisi

Pope Francis met with war refugees and religious figures on Tuesday in Assisi, the hometown of the tolerance-preaching St. Francis, for a day of prayers for peace and pleas for more attention to victims of conflicts worldwide.
Speaking about victims of war, Pope Francis lamented in a prayer service in St. Francis Basilica that refugees from conflicts often receive “the bitter vinegar of rejection.”
“Who listens to them? Who bothers responding to them?” Francis said. “Far too often, they encounter the deafening silence of indifference, the selfishness of those annoyed at being pestered, the coldness of those who silence their cry for help with the same ease with which television channels are changed.”
Throughout his papacy, Francis has decried those who turn their backs on those fleeing wars and poverty. After his speech, the names of countries where war or other violence is raging were read aloud, in alphabetical order, with a tall, slender candle lit for each place. Places cited included Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Mexico plagued with drug traffickers’ violence, Ukraine and Mindanao in the Philippines.
Earlier, after chatting individually with each of dozens of participants, Francis dined with them in the Franciscan convent. The guests included 12 refugees who fled war and conflicts in Nigeria, Eritrea, Mali and Syria, which was represented by three Christians who fled the besieged city of Aleppo.

Source: Arab News