Pope Francis warns of "dark clouds" over humanity, urges peace
8:33 AM EDT, April 20, 2024
During a Friday meeting with young people, Pope Francis warned that "dark clouds" are gathering over humanity. He emphasized that these threats are global and pose a significant challenge, stressing the importance of "sowing day by day those seeds of peace".
On April 19, nearly 6,000 young individuals from 98 Italian cities visited the Vatican to meet the Pope as part of the "Schools for Peace" project.
"Thank you for being full of enthusiasm in pursuing objectives of beauty and goodness, in the midst of dramatic situations, injustices and violence that disfigure human dignity," the Pope commended.
He further emphasized the need for responsible living, "broadening our horizons, looking forward and sowing day by day those seeds of peace that tomorrow will be able to germinate and bear fruit".
"Today’s challenges, and especially the risks that, like dark clouds, gather above us, threatening our future, have also become global," Francis said during a meeting in the Vatican.
Francis highlighted that these challenges "enter human community" and require "courage and creativity of a collective dream". This dream is key to fostering a consistent commitment to address our planet's environmental, economic, political, and social crises.
"In this time, still marked by war, I ask you to be artisans of peace; in a society still imprisoned by the throwaway culture, I ask you to be protagonists of inclusion," he appealed.
Francis added that it's essential to work toward making the world "become a place of fraternity".
