The Pope prayed yesterday for South Sudan, Sudan, Nigeria and Mali in his traditional Easter blessing to the city and to the world in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Pope Benedict prayed that the risen Jesus may help South Sudan and Sudan and grant their inhabitants the power of forgiveness.He prayed also for reconciliation and comfort to the suffering populations of the Horn of Africa.
The Pope also recalled Mali, now experiencing delicate political developments.
He asked that the glorious Christ may grant peace and stability.
Nigeria was also in the heart of Pope Benedict. He decried the recent savage terrorist attacks and prayed that the joy of Easter grant the strength needed to take up anew the building of a society which is peaceful and respectful of the religious freedom of its citizens.
He also had a special prayer for Africa: May the Lord, the victor over evil and death, sustain the Christian communities of the African continent; may he grant them hope in facing their difficulties, and make them peacemakers and agents of development in the societies to which they belong.
Pope Benedict called for an end to bloodshed in Syria and an immediate commitment to the path of respect, dialogue and reconciliation put forward by the international community.