His Holiness Pope Francis laments decade of Syria’s destructive civil war

File photo of Duma residents carrying an injured man after an airstrike on 2 February 2015

Pope Francis renews his appeal for an end to Syria’s decade-long civil war, as the people of the Middle Eastern nation struggle to survive.

By Devin Watkins & Nathan Morley

On 15 March 2011, unrest among the people of Syria boiled over. Protests against the Ba’athist government of President Bashar al-Assad escalated into an armed conflict following a violent suppression of demonstrations.

Now, 10 years later, Pope Francis is once again lifting his voice to lament the war and its many devastating effects on Syrians.

Pope’s renewed appeal

The Syrian civil war, he said after the Angelus prayer on Sunday, “has caused one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our times.”

“An untold number of dead and wounded, millions of refugees, thousands missing, destruction, violence of all kinds and immense suffering for the entire population, especially the most vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly,” said the Pope.

In response, Pope Francis renewed his “heartfelt appeal” for all parties to the conflict to “show signs of goodwill, so that a glimmer of hope may open up for the exhausted population.”

He also called on the international community to provide “decisive and renewed” commitment to rebuilding the nation, so that “once the weapons have been laid down, the social fabric can be mended and reconstruction and economic recovery can begin.”

“Let us all pray to the Lord that the great suffering in our beloved and tormented Syria may not be forgotten, and that our solidarity might revive hope.”

And he led the faithful in the recitation of the Hail Mary.

How has the war affected Syrians?

Since the conflict erupted a decade ago, Syria has witnessed unprecedented devastation and displacement.

As it stands, more than 5 million Syrians have fled the country and 6 million remain internally displaced. Furthermore, with more than 13 million people in need of assistance, the conflict has caused untold suffering for Syrian men, women and children.

In such conditions, there is an enormous need for humanitarian aid.

More than 13.4 million people in the country need some sort of relief, according to the United Nations …

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