Pope Francis prays for peace in countries battered by war

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis on Wednesday renewed his appeal to remember countries at war, warning against becoming desensitized to global death and devastation.

His appeal to not forget war-torn countries came in his remarks to Italian-speaking pilgrims toward the conclusion of his weekly General Audience.

"Brothers and sisters," he emphasized, "martyred Ukraine suffers! Let us not forget Ukraine."

Likewise, he continued, "let us not forget Palestine, Israel, Myanmar and so many nations at war."

In a special way, the Holy Father turned his attention to the group of 153 innocent Palestinians who earlier this month were shot and killed.

Thinking of them, he concluded, "Let us pray for peace. We need peace so much, so much!"

Poles who stood strong with Rosary in hand

In his greetings to the Polish faithful, Pope Francis recalled the country's National Independence Day on 11 November.

Remembering how the the Polish people "fought" for their autonomy "even with the Rosary in their hands", he invited Poles worldwide, in their "personal, family and social concerns", to "invoke the help of the Mother of God, Queen of Poland, who has guarded your nation through many difficult times."