«Good morning, I greet you all and welcome you. Thank you for this visit which I like very much, but it happens that I am not in good health and for this reason I prefer not to read the speech but to give it to you and for you to bring it." Thus this morning the Pope in the first public audience in the Vatican press room, the one with the European Rabbis.

The Pontiff pronounced these words with a very tired voice and did not continue further .

Pope Francis today has a busy agenda of personal meetings and public hearings. A meeting with seven thousand children from all over the world is also scheduled for the afternoon in the Paul VI Hall.

«Pope Francis has a bit of a cold and a long day of audiences» came the clarification from Matteo Bruni , director of the press room. «He had the desire to greet the European rabbis individually and for this reason he delivered the speech. For the rest, the Pope's activities continue regularly."

THE SPEECH – «Not weapons, not terrorism, not war, but compassion, justice and dialogue are the appropriate means to build peace», underlines the Pontiff in the speech delivered. In which he also speaks of the importance of Jewish-Christian dialogue , concluding: "To become builders of peace, we are called to be builders of dialogue."

Therefore an appeal against the worrying spread of anti-Semitic demonstrations in relation to the war in the Middle East. « Once again violence and war have broken out in that Land which, blessed by the Almighty, seems continually opposed by the baseness of hatred and the fatal noise of weapons . And the spread of anti-Semitic demonstrations, which I firmly condemn, is worrying", underlines the Pope.

(Unioneonline/vl)

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