Pope says 10th anniversary of Syrian war must speed up peace efforts
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In mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests snowballed into a bloody conflict that sucked in major world powers
Calling Syrian war one of the worst humanitarian crises of current times, Pope Francis on Sunday said that 10th anniversary of the civil war should speed up peace efforts. Pope Francis offered prayers in his traditional Sunday blessing at St Peter's Square in Vatican City.
"I renew my heartfelt appeal so that all sides in the conflict show a sign of goodwill so that a sliver of hope can open up for the worn-out population," Francis told several hundred people in St. Peter's Square.
Syria had seen "every type of violence and enormous suffering by the population, particularly the most vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly," said the pope, who last Monday returned from a trip to bordering Iraq.
In mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests snowballed into a bloody conflict that sucked in major world powers. The civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.
In his Sunday message, the Pope called for "decisive" commitment from the international community to end fighting.
He then led the crowd in prayer for the "beloved and martyred Syria."
(With AFP inputs)