Pope marks anniversary of Normandy Landings with call for peace

By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis' letter commemorating the landing of Allied forces in Normandy on June 6, 1944 was read during a ceremony in Bayeux Cathedral, on the eve of the anniversary, in the presence of religious, civil and military authorities.

Expressing his closeness to all those present at the ceremony, the Pope reflected on the collective and military effort that led to the liberation of Europe and the immense sacrifices made.

“The landing generally evokes the disaster of that terrible global conflict, where so many men, women and children suffered, so many families were torn apart and so much destruction was caused,” he wrote.

Evoking the image of Normandy towns – Caen, Le Havre, Saint-Lô, Cherbourg, Flers, Rouen, Lisieux, Falaise, Argentan – and many others, completely destroyed, with the lives of countless innocent civilian victims and those who suffered enormous suffering because of the bombings, the Pope stressed the importance of remembering these events to unequivocally condemn and reject the war.

The Normandy American World War II Cemetery and Memorial

Never again war!

Quoting the plea of ​​Saint Paul VI to the United Nations in 1965: “Never again war!” » the Holy Father lamented the fading memory of past errors and expressed concern that the notion of generalized war was becoming increasingly normalized.

“It is indeed worrying that the hypothesis of a generalized conflict is sometimes seriously considered again, that people are gradually becoming familiar with this unacceptable possibility. People want peace! They want conditions of stability, security and prosperity where everyone can serenely fulfill their duty and destiny,” he wrote.

He condemned the pursuit of ideological, nationalist or economic ambitions that compromise this possibility, describing it as a grave offense against humanity and a sin before God.

Prayers

The Pope then called for prayer for those who provoke and perpetuate wars.

“Let us pray for the men who want wars, those who start them, fuel them senselessly, maintain and prolong them uselessly, or profit cynically from them. May God enlighten their hearts, may He show them the procession of misfortunes they cause !” he pleaded.

He also called for prayer for the peacemakers, recalling that they will be called children of God” (Mt 5:9).

And encouraging peacemakers to continue their efforts to promote peaceful encounters and dialogue, the Holy Father said: “May they tirelessly persevere in their efforts and may their efforts be crowned with success.”

Finally, Pope Francis did not neglect to ask for prayers for the victims of all wars.

“Let us pray for the victims of wars, wars of the past and present. May God welcome all those who died in these terrible conflicts, may he come to the aid of all those who suffer from them today”, and he stressed that “the poor and the weak, the elderly, women and children are always the first victims of these tragedies”.

Achille Muller, last survivor of the Free French Forces during a commemoration of the Landing