He prayed for Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, “constructive dialogue” to help resolve famine in Yemen, peace in Sudan and South Sudan and he prayed for victims of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also mentioned a nascent ceasefire after years of civil war in Myanmar was a slim “sign of hope.
The pontiff prayed for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, and decried the sufferings of people in Gaza, “where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction.” Francis, a fervent critic of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, ramped up his censures in recent months, calling the conflict “very serious and shameful” in January.