Vatican City
Reuters
Pope Francis said on Sunday that he was praying that many countries take Afghan refugees and, in an apparent reference to the Taliban’s past restrictions on schooling for women, said it is essential that young Afghans receive an education.
“In these moments of upheaval, in which Afghans are seeking refuge, I pray for the most vulnerable among them,” he told hundreds of people in St Peter’s Square for his weekly blessing.
“I pray that many countries welcome them and protect those who are seeking a new life.”
Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on Sunday, 5th September. PICTURE: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini.
The Pope is a strong supporter of the rights of refugees and migrants.
Thousands of Afghans evacuated by the United States are waiting in so-called transit hubs in countries such as Qatar, Germany and Italy. Thousands of others are trying to leave via land crossings with neighbouring countries such as Pakistan.
“I also pray for the internally displaced so that they have help and necessary protection. May young Afghans receive an education, which is an essential good for human development,” Francis said.
The last time the Islamist militants were in power in Afghanistan, women were not allowed to work and girls could not go to school.
Meanwhile, the Pope also asked for prayers for his visit later this month to “the heart of Europe”, a four-day pilgrimage to Hungary and Slovakia, which will be his first travels since surgery earlier this summer.
Francis spoke of his trip that begins in Hungary on 12th September, then takes him to Slovakia, before returning to the Vatican on 15th September.
The pontiff had surgery on 4th July to remove a portion of his large intestine. The trip will be a test of stamina for the 84-year-old leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Francis asked the faithful to “accompany” him with prayer during the pilgrimage.
He’ll begin the trip in Budapest to mark the end of a gathering aimed at stressing the importance of the Eucharist for Catholics and conclude it in Slovakia with a ceremony to honor the Virgin Mary, that country’s religious patron.
He said the pilgrimage will be marked by prayer “in the heart of Europe”.
Francis thanked all those who prepared the trip and affectionately greeted “all those awaiting me and whom I wish from my heart to meet”.
In his remarks, he paid tribute to “so many heroic” faithful, who persevered despite “hostilities and persecutions”. Francis didn’t elaborate. But it appeared to be a reference to conflicts that bloodied Europe and decades of rule in the 20th century by officially atheist Communist authorities in much of Central and Eastern Europe.
May those heroic examples “help Europe to bear witness, even today, not so much in words, but above all in deeds, with works of mercy and welcome” to the faith, the Pope said.
– With AP.
