Pope Francis said this Thursday that “Wars are often based on failed or rejected embraces, those who follow prejudices, misunderstandings and suspicions, even to the point of seeing the other as an enemy.”

Francis made these statements during his speaking at an event organized by Catholic Action which gathered around 60,000 people in St. Peter’s Square under the slogan “With Open Arms”.

“The impulse that you express today in such a festive form is not always welcomed in our world: sometimes it meets with isolation and resistance, therefore hands tense and clench threateningly, becoming no longer a means of fraternity, but a means of rejection and opposition,” the Pope said in his message.

And he added that “When a hug turns into a fist, it is very dangerous.” and “all this, unfortunately, is before our eyes today, in too many parts of the world.”

“Hugs can change lives show new ways of hope,” Francisco noted.

At a morning event with pilgrims from Hungary, the pontiff explained that “The great gift of “peace” begins in the heart of each of us; It begins at the door of my home when, before I leave, I decide whether I want to live this day as a peaceful man or woman, that is, to live in peace with others.”

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“Peace comes when I choose to forgive, even if it is difficult, and It fills my heart with joy.” he added.

Francis also wanted to thank the Hungarians for having an “open heart towards Ukrainian refugees “who left their country because of the war.”

(EFE)