Pope lights candle to launch campaign for peace in Syria

VATICAN CITY — The pope has lit a candle decorated with the faces of Syrian children suffering from war as part of a global campaign calling for peace in the Middle Eastern country.

The pope tells believers gathered in St. Peter’s Square on the first Sunday of the Advent season leading up to Christmas that the season “is a time of hope.” The pontiff calls for a halt to the civil war in Syria, which has been underway for nearly eight years.

Lifting the candle to the window, the pope urges that “these flames of hope disperse the darkness of war.”

The lighting launches a global campaign for Syria, which the organization Aid to the Church in Need says involved over 50,000 children from war-torn Syrian cities.

— AP

During the Angelus today, Pope Francis lit a candle for peace in #Syria, that's been at war for the past eight years. He joined a campaign launched by @acn_int that included some 50,000 children from various Syrian cities praying for this intention in recent days. pic.twitter.com/01LCsDI6mB

— Ines San Martin (@inesanma) December 2, 2018