Pope’s 1-minute peace prayer initiative lauded by Indian Bishop in Vatican

Mangalore Today News Network

June 09, 2017: The 1-minute prayer for peace initiative of Pope Francis on June 8 (at 1 pm) underscores the fact that solutions to all the world’s problems lie only with God who uses human efforts and initiatives to carry out his plans.  It is more so with peace, Bishop Thomas Dabre of Poona said on June 8, Thursday in Rome.

The 63-year old bishop is participating in the June 7-9 plenary assembly of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue that is discussing the role of women in educating to universal fraternity.

“Hence we need to back the efforts of peace with constant prayers, indicating we depend on God,” he told Vatican Radio.
At the end of his general audience on June 7, Wednesday in the Vatican, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to pray for peace for a minute at 1pm on June 8, Thursday. The date was the third anniversary of his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the late Israeli President Shimon Peres in the Vatican gardens in 2014. “In our time there is a great need to pray – Christians, Jews and Muslims – for peace,” the Pope said.

Bishop Dabre also said that Pope Francis is heard not only by Catholics in the world and in India, but also “across the board by people of all religions and cultures, with great admiration and confidence.”

Commenting on the discussion of the plenary assembly, the Bishop of Poona referred to Pope Francis who said that great ideas if not translated into action and reality are useless. Values about women, Bishop Dabre said, are excellent but one must get them down to action “so ground reality must change.”

Asked about the growing phenomenon of rape and disrespect for women’s dignity in India, he said that besides the efforts of the judiciary, lawmakers, government and police, what is needed most is the “formation of the minds and hearts, so people really think differently that women are persons and not bodies to be exploited or killed and thrown away.”