Pope Francis: Christ Is Crucified Again in ‘War,’ ‘Refugees,’ ‘Elderly’

crucified
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ROME — Pope Francis denounced violence Sunday, asserting Jesus Christ is crucified again in those who suffer “senseless acts of cruelty.”

“When we resort to violence, we show that we no longer know anything about God, who is our Father, or even about others, who are our brothers and sisters,” the pontiff declared in his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in the Vatican, which marks the beginning of Holy Week.

“We lose sight of why we are in the world and even end up committing senseless acts of cruelty,” he stated. “We see this in the folly of war, where Christ is crucified yet another time.”

The pope went on to add other examples of where Christ continues to be crucified in today’s world.

“Christ is once more nailed to the Cross in mothers who mourn the unjust death of husbands and sons,” he said. “He is crucified in refugees who flee from bombs with children in their arms.”

Moreover, he continued, he is crucified “in the elderly left alone to die; in young people deprived of a future; in soldiers sent to kill their brothers and sisters.”

“Christ is being crucified there, today,” he declared.

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