Despite his breathing difficulties, Pope Francis took the mic at the end of the general audience on February 12, 2025, to make a new appeal for peace. Speaking of all countries at war, he cited the conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, Myanmar, and Africa.
“We were not born to kill, but to make peoples grow,” said Pope Francis, despite his hoarse voice.
Before the several thousand faithful gathered in the Paul VI hall of the Vatican for the general audience, the 88-year-old pontiff repeated that war is "always a defeat."
“May paths of peace be found. Please, in your daily prayer, ask for peace,” urged the head of the Catholic Church, before mentioning "martyred Ukraine," Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and then South Sudan.
“Please, let us pray for peace, let us do penance for peace,” he again exhorted.
What is "doing penance"?
Jesus in Mark 9:29 tells his disciples who were unable to cast out a demon, “This kind can come out only through prayer." Other ancient translations include "and fasting" in Jesus' words.
The idea is that uniting our sufferings to the redemptive sufferings of Jesus brings an efficacy to our prayer.
The Catechism notes in particular how "penance" is also a path to restoring spiritual health.
Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called "penance."
CCC 1459
Pope still has bronchitis
Suffering from bronchitis, Pope Francis was unable to read his catechesis on Wednesday and entrusted the reading to a priest of the Roman Curia. But he made the effort to personally deliver his appeals against war at the very end of the general audience.
Last Sunday, with nearly 30,000 soldiers and police officers gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Armed Forces Jubilee, Pope Francis encouraged them to always serve life.
I would encourage you never to lose sight of the purpose of your service and all your activity, which is to promote life, to save lives, to be a constant defender of life. And I ask you, please, to be vigilant. Be vigilant against the temptation to cultivate a warlike spirit. Be vigilant not to be taken in by the illusion of power and the roar of arms. Be vigilant lest you be poisoned by propaganda that instils hatred, divides the world into friends to be defended and foes to fight. Instead, be courageous witnesses of the love of God our Father, who wants us all to be brothers and sisters. Together, then, let us set out to be artisans of a new era of peace, justice and fraternity.
