On All Souls' Day Pope Francis warns warmongers that the only fruit of war is death

(Photo: WCC)World Council of Churches 1st Assembly, Amsterdam, 1948. It was the official founding of the WCC, its theme, coming soon after World War II was "Man's Disorder and God's Design."

Pope Francis celebrated the Feast of All Souls Day commemorating all those who have died in war, reminding humanity not to forget past lessons and warning that the only fruit yielded by conflict is death.

His words of warning and his powerful condemnation of warmongers came during his Nov. 2 homily at the Sicily-Rome American War Cemetery some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Rome, Vatican Radio reports.

"Please God," Francis prayed, "everything is lost with war.

"There are men who are doing everything to declare war and to enter into conflict. They end up destroying themselves and everything."

Pope Francis arrived at the war cemetery early in the afternoon so that he could spend time reflecting and paying his personal respects to the mostly young soldiers who gave their lives in the name of freedom and respect for humanity

There are 7,860 servicemen buried there and in a chapel on the grounds are the names of 3,095 servicemen who went missing in action.

Most of those who are buried in the Nettuno cemetery died in the liberation of Sicily, the landings at Salerno and Anzio, and in air and naval support of these operations in 1943 and 1944 during World War II.

The Pope explained that pride is the vice which leads people to seek solutions to problems through a declaration of war, and that humanity "has not learned the lesson" nor does it seem to "want to learn it," Catholic News Agency reported

Francis concluded by reminding that today is a day to pray for all the dead, but that we should pray especially for those young people killed in war and buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.

"We also pray," he continued, "for the dead of today, the dead of war, even innocent children. This is the fruit of war: death."

Copyright © 2017 Ecumenical News