On behalf of Pope Francis, the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin recently sent a note to all embassies of countries with which it has diplomatic relations urging ambassadors to work for peace.
The nota verbale, as it is called in Latin, was intended to invite the international community to take the question of peace to heart, particularly in the Middle East, according to Msgr. Dominique Mamberti, secretary for relations with states.
Pope Francis has been rather active in recent weeks pushing for peace by calling key political and religious leaders in war-torn areas on the phone. Also, his weekly Sunday Angelus addresses have focused on peace.
While we can agree with the pope’s appeals for peace to stop the terrible loss of life and the other effects on human society during war, peace is a mantra that is one of the means by which the papacy gains geopolitical power. The pope’s remarks tend to place the Vatican in a position to broker the peace, giving the papacy global stature.
“By peace he shall destroy many…” Daniel 8:25
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