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Guerrilla violence in South America and the drug trafficking that devastates Central America are the focus of two of the fourteen meditations that the Pope Francisco has dedicated to Way of the Cross of the Holy Fridaywhich is being held tonight at the Rome Coliseum without the presence of the pontiff.
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Franciscowho will follow the ritual from his residence in the Vatican to recover from his recent bronchitis, wanted the fourteen stations of the rite to describe this year what he calls the “Third World War in pieces”with a review of the dramas of the world.
The full prayer will be heard this Friday at 9:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. GMT) in the Rome Coliseum.
Victims of some tragedies such as forced migration in Africathe war of Ukraine and religious conflicts in middle East.
By Latin America a young man from Central America will speak in the third station and a mother from South Americawho will take the baton at the fourth stop.
“We young people want peace. But often we fall, (…) Laziness, fear, discouragement and also the empty promises of an easy but dirty life, made of greed and greed, throw us to the ground. corruption”, the young man starts.
His meditation asks: “This is what makes the spirals of drug trafficking, violence, dependencies and the exploitation of people grow, while many families continue to mourn the loss of their children, and the impunity of those who swindle, kidnap and kill has no end How to obtain peace?
And finally he mentions, in Spanish, the word “commitment”, necessary to take the reins of life looking for peace and say “no” to other false commitments that kill it.
Next, a mother of South America will recount the drama of living under the action of the guerrillas.
“In 2012 the explosion of a bomb planted by the guerrillas he broke my leg”remembers the woman.
“What terrified me the most was seeing my seven-month-old daughter, covered in blood, with many pieces of glass embedded in her face. What it must have been like for Mary to see the face of Jesus distorted and bloodied!”keep going.
Even so, the mother asks not to get carried away by “anger and resentment”since he discovered that by “spreading hate he created more violence”.
“I understood that many victims needed to discover (…) that you cannot live on resentment. This is how I began to help them: I studied to teach how to prevent accidents caused by the millions of disseminated mines”Complete your reflection.
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THE WORDS OF A UKRAINIAN AND A RUSSIAN FOR PEACE
the war of Ukraine will also be present this year: last year a Ukrainian and Russian woman carried the cross together at one of the stations, which prompted complaints from the Ukrainian embassy to the Vatican.
On this occasion, the meditation of the tenth station It has been co-written by a young Ukrainian and a Russian.
The Ukrainian remembers when he fled with his family from Mariupol until Italywhere his grandmother lived, but after a short time they decided to return, since his father was recruited by the Army.
“Here the situation continues to be difficult, there is war everywhere, the city is destroyed. But in my heart remained that certainty that my grandmother used to tell me when she cried: ‘You’ll see, everything will pass. and with the help of godpeace will return’”implores.
For his part, the Russian admits that he speaks “with a feeling of guilt” and recalls when a letter informed his family of the death of his brother: “Everyone told us that we should be proudbut at home there was so much suffering and sadness”.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
