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 Pope Francis devoted much of his weekly speech on September 4 in Rome to the Syrian conflict.
September 5th, 2013
12:04 PM ET
Pope to G-20: Keep your armies out of SyriaBy Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN) - Pope Francis on Thursday wrote to the G-20 leaders, saying that military intervention in Syria would be "futile" and urging them to seek a diplomatic solution instead. "To the leaders present, to each and every one," Francis wrote in a public letter, "I make a heartfelt appeal for them to help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution." The pope's letter was addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is hosting the G-20 meeting, where the Syrian conflict is expected to take center stage. Francis has condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria and called for a day of prayer and fasting on Sept. 7 to press for peace in Syria. He also chided the international community for letting "one-sided interests" prevent them from finding a solution. But while lamenting the "senseless massacre unfolding" in Syria, he has also rejected calls for a military strike against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also urged President Obama and Congress not to use military force in Syria. "A central moral question is: Will more or less lives and livelihoods be destroyed by military intervention?" Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Bishop Richard Pates, who represent the bishops, wrote to Congress on Thursday. "Instead of employing armed force," the bishops continued,"in this situation our nation, working with the international community, should direct all of its energies urgently and tirelessly toward dialogue and negotiation."
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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May all the faithful join the Holy Father and our bishops in praying for peace.
Prayer doesn't work. Diplomacy might. Bombs will.
Bombing for god will and some
HotAirAce to Pope-A-Dope: Keep your mentally ill delusionals, especially your pedophile priests, within the confines of your cult's clubhouses. In other words, Fuck Off!
The Pope giving moral advice? When he can't even stop his priests from molesting little boys, and STILL trying to cover it up? Pope's who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones!
Popes, not Pope's.
And you our beloved hero.! Thank you for speaking out against that perverted black mamba, ms. Stone. If everyone would rebuke her, maybe this place wouldn't be the hated dump that it is.
Did you watch Kill Bill last night, hharri?
There will be more deaths due to the military intervention than without it.
Not as many as those under the pope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMqRCZK161w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0QBlvCPeMwc
More than two years on... and you think dialogue should still be at the center? I don't think so. Now that somebody has resorted to using chemical weapons, it is only logical that those that are blessed with the means to intervene militarily should do so and do so like now now. The government should be held accountable for either the chemical weapons attack or for failing to have found a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Syria doesn't control huge amounts of oil, or any other resource we want, though.
Maybe the Arab League should LEAD for once.
Arab League or Allah one or the other.
Why the red line on chemical weapons? What's worse: 1,000 dead from chemical weaponry or 100,000 dead from bullets and mortars? Completely nonsensical for the issue to be how people are killed and not how many are killed.
The problem is not so simple as which of 2 evils is worse at some specific point in time. Think about it some more.
Should mankind blame the war machine mongers who sell their warring goods to impoverished nations giving said nations the abilities to rule by military force..? The USA and Russia and China are the big three war machine enthusiasts keeping the bloodlines from their war machine makers alive and doing well...
Where do you think the chem weapons came from?
Lisa, you don't think Assad is capable of manufacturing CWs? Think again.
Chanting magic spells only works in myths.
Or in people's imaginations.
Sound like gospel
'called for a day of prayer and fasting on Sept. 7 to press for peace in Syria', he should have done that 2 years ago!
Hey dude, he was not the Pope two years ago!
Would it have been more effective then? Does fasting and prayer have an expiration date and a shelf life, like yogurt?
Right position... But, how to stop the war?
Sired Dan...
The "limited' warring aspirations of nationally syndicated politicians and all their political backers will most likely get their "limited" war for the simple reason that the war machineries need a monetary income and this "limited" war will give the war machine their injections of much needed monetary income to sustain a stranglehold upon other wars such as the drugs wars and its need for bullet proof vests and bullets and all manner of customized warlike vehicles... 🙁 🙁 🙁
How do you stop a religious and ideological war that has been raging for more than a thousand years in that region?
I think the only answer is to take away the thing they are fighting over, their religion. And the only way to do that is to give up our own religion and sacrafice it on the alter of peace and humanity. No more people need die, just the doctrine that claims one person is different from another, just the ideologies that claim a patent on truth. Rid them of their bronze age stupidity and they might just have a chance.
Sired Ma'am...
This world's neighborhoods are just that... Hooded neighbors whose children in middle east neighborhoods are rioting against their parents concerns.... Why then do you see 100's of thousands of Syrians fleeing their country and crossing the borders..? Who is it that is left in Syria of Syrian decent..? the riotous children of Syrians that fled their nation...
Altar, not alter.
sacrifice not sacrafice
Good words....
Good pancakes.
Sounds like Obama should Listen to the Pope Man and Stop his War talk
At least Obama isn't going to start a $2,000,000,000,000 war for false reasons like Bush and the Republicans did.
ilet's not make it about obama vs. bush that is such a waste of energy. it comes down to this – are the rebels who seek to overthrow assad any better than he is? will human rights improve should they succeed? we do not know who they are but common sense would suggest that there are many radical islamists among them. iraq is no better off and neither is afghanistan, as a result of our intervention. an attack like the president is describing, to punish assad, could trigger a huge catastrophe and no one can predict how long and painful this one could be.
You hit all the talking points. That's why we should stay out of it. No matter what we do, somebody will be upset. Leave them alone to solve their own issues.
@kcp..................Republicans are the ones the war trip, Have you been listening to McCain?
Correction: "on the war trip"
Who then is John Kerry's political stance being a "democrat" pushing the case for a presidentially mediated limited war..?
I do not recall of a Pope being so utterly concerned as to have sent a letter to the G 20 assembly to request a peaceful solutions for Syria, at least in my lifetime regarding other conflicts in this region. His advice is objective, and should be considered in all of his intention, even if it may sound idealistic. No one has yet the real solution to this crisis.
I have a solution. Why don't the Saudi's show some onions and take a stand. They have weapons that the U.S. provided to them. The Saudi's are scared that suicide bombers will be knocking on the doors of it's citizens.
I say stay out of it, let them kill each other and move on. If no one else cares, why should we?
Its, not it's.
Saudis, not Saudi's.
Oops! Missed that obvious one (two, actually). I'm losing my touch.
John Paul ll was against the invasion of Iraq. Bush even sent some US neo-con lay theologians to talk with the Pope justifying his plans to invade Irag. Looking back JP2 was correct.
So was Obama, He voted against it.
Bert,
Leave his opinion out, if war is the solution then we must start to bomb.
rest assured bombing syria will be just as effective as the bombings of iraq and afghanistan. that should inspire great confidence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
As you can see in this blog on page 2 among many other blogs, I am against any and all wars from the prohibitionists wars on drugs to all out wars any country engages in for any war entails propagandists to use psychological subversion tactics upon those who cannot think things out rightly therefore giving the mainstream bureaucrats and their sanctimonious henchmen ways in which to spread disharmony and disunity... Of all the wars: I hate any prohibitionist wars engaged in drug prohibitions for it is these ongoing wars that are blamed for social disunities in all the modernistic worlds whose concentrated ranks are of the most rich and their political maneuverers killing off the poor folks only wanton reasons for living Life thru the use of drugs, especially cannabis sativa which is nowadays being proven to have beneficial effects and potential cures for all cancers, epilepsy and seizures... I am so ashamed of being part of a hierarchal society that shuns the poor folks and their desires for feeling good... 😳
Do you vote? You really want to make changes? Exercise your right to vote before the republicans take it away.
Sire Ken...
My vote for any party of any political agents that are dead set against drugs are prohibitionists. I would rather help spread the word to readers here on this "Belief Blog"... Until I see a politician coming out and saying to the general public that he or she is against this nation's illegal drug war brought on by backstabbing prohibitionists, I will not give any of them my vote...
@lion...................You don't have a leg to stand on if you don't vote.
Sired Kenneth...
Like I said, until a politician(s) come out "openly" saying they are against today's drug prohibitionists and are for the legalization of all drugs, I will not lift a finger to vote for any of today's backstabbing drug prohibitionist...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LayaGk0TMDc&feature=player_embedded
Laws have been passed in Colorado and the State of Washington so things are beginning to change. Like everything else it takes time. Press the candidates on the legalization of weed enough and they might change their tune.
Sir Margo...
Here's the conundrum our nation is now in.... The political war machine wants wars to escalate bringing to their coffers a beneficial income... These coffers in turn promote those in political circles to keep up the drug prohibitionists moving along giving their coffers even more financial income thru the manufacturing of bullet proof vests and guns and bullets and all manner of war machinery to transport the policemen with... can't you Sired ken see the vicious circles of all prohibitionists reeling around the hidden faces of the war czars..?
@lion...................It's no secret that if you legalize weed you'd eliminate the gun violence that comes with it. The jailing of minorities and so on. I see all of that with you. You can drink beer to the point of passing out but smoke a little weed. JAIL. The system su'cks big time.
Ken,
Yup blame the GOP when the DNC also has their greedy hands in our pockets.
I didn't "Blame" the gop for anything. I stated the facts. Republicans have wanted Obama to bomb Iran for years. Syria is their latest target. It's amazing for a group that doesn't think the gov't should spend money, have no problem wasting money on wars!
Sadly Ken...
Was not Obama asked for his views on the legalization of marijuana and even though he smoked it in his youth years he resonated being against it being legal..? And our leader of a so called "free nation" is being forced by drug czars and drug prohibitionists to lean away from legalizing cannabis sativa that is being proven to cure all cancers and many forms of epilepsy and even seizures... Why should any cannabis toker or hemp oil user really want to vote for the two faces of identical twin political racists and their being against the most impoverished folks only desires for daily enlightenment..?
@Lion................I agree with you, Obama shouldn't enforce federal laws for weed just like he wouldn't enforce laws that were against gay marriage. He has disappointed me on that one very much and I don't smoke!
Sir Ken...
While I was once a cannabis toker I am in refrain due my political paranoia and until cannabis sativa is made either legalized out rightly or for medicinal purposes here in my Floridian state, I am humbled to be legal in my stay of living rightly under Floridian laws... I smoke regulated tobacco (filtered) and if I could legally smoke cannabis sativa, I would give up tobacco smoking... At 58, my years of smoking tobacco since I was a teenager is taking its toll. I remain vigil in hopes of seeing marijuana becoming legal nationwide. The benefits of cannabis sativa or hemp will be our nation's saving grace provided our country thinks it fully thru and begins to see its medicinal benefits and industrial uses of which their are thousands of ways to use industrial hemp...
I'm in complete agreement with you. What is the difference between a tobacco plant or a marijuana plant? No one I know has ever had "marijuana" fueled rage like you see with other drugs. It's just a way to keep the jails full.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhmnfEuD1Cs&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ck97O7owk&feature=player_detailpage
The Pope should keep his nose out of international affairs and in his own churches, where it belongs.
Heaven forbid he should have the freedom to voice his opinion.
Listen to him!!!
Christians don't listen to him. (Remember the church s3x abuse scandal)
not all Christians are Catholic but we can still recognize his words for their wisdom.
Not everything the pope says is filled with wisdom. their stance on gays and abortion is just a couple of examples.
Boom! Listen to him!!!
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà vu (1970) [Full Album]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnjiGx-6pII&feature=player_detailpage
War...what is it good for absolutely nothing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nkIuu7yQo&feature=player_detailpage