During this week's crowded Wednesday audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV lamented the renewed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia:
POPE LEO XIV
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the renewed conflict along the border between Thailand and Cambodia; there have also been civilian victims, and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. I express my closeness in prayer to these beloved populations and I ask the parties to immediately cease fire and resume dialogue.”
Several civilians were killed and many others were injured during the escalated military clashes at the border between the two countries. Territorial disputes are at the center of the conflict.
The Pope had paused his usual Wednesday audiences while traveling for his first apostolic journey, but he has resumed them this week. During his sermon at the gathering today, he reflected on death, reminding us of its place in the Christian life.
POPE LEO XIV
“Death seems like a kind of taboo, an event that must be kept at a distance; something to be spoken of in a low voice so as not to disturb our sensitivity and tranquility. That is why, often, people avoid visiting cemeteries, where those who have gone before us rest as they await the resurrection. What, then, is death? Is it really the last word on our life? Only the human being asks this question, because only he knows that he must die.”
With this reflection, Pope Leo invited the faithful to see death within the fulfillment of Christ's Resurrection, not simply as end but rather as a necessary step in the path of all humanity's salvation.
