The Holy Father today repeated his plea for peace in Myanmar, asking prayers for the troubled nation after he prayed the noonday Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“I wish once again to implore from God the gift of peace for the beloved land of Myanmar: may the hands of those who live there no longer wipe away tears of pain and death, but instead join together to overcome difficulties and work together to bring peace,” Pope Francis said.
The military seized control of the government in Myanmar earlier this year, an action condemned around the world. The country has been beset with protests, persecutions of Christians, and attacks on ethnic minorities. More than 200,000 people have been displaced. In early September, Myanmar’s military rulers agreed to an “Association of Southeast Asian Nations” (ASEAN) call for a ceasefire until the end of 2021.
Pope Francis on Sunday also prayed for victims of violence in the prison of Guayaquil, Ecuador:
“I am very saddened by what has happened in recent days in the prison of Guayaquil, Ecuador. A terrible outbreak of violence between inmates belonging to rival gangs has left more than a hundred dead and many injured. I pray for them and for their families. May God help us heal the wounds of crime, that enslave the poorest. And may he help those who work every day to make prison life more humane.”
A battle between gangs in Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Wednesday killed at least 116 people and injured 80 in what authorities are calling the worst penitentiary massacre in Ecuador’s history. At least five dead were reportedly beheaded, according to officials.
