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SAINT PETERSBURG. — World leaders have arrived in Saint Petersburg for a G20 summit set to be dominated by tensions over Syria. Meanwhile, Pope Francis has urged G20 leaders to abandon the “futile pursuit” of a military solution in Syria and work instead for dialogue and negotiation to end the conflict.
In a letter to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who is hosting this week’s G20 summit, the pope lamented that “one-sided interests” had prevailed in Syria, preventing a peaceful solution and allowing the continued “senseless massacre” of innocents.
Amid unconfirmed rumours on Twitter that the pope had placed a phone call to Bashar al-Assad in the last few hours and may yet call Paris and the White House, the pope stepped up his call for peace in Syria amid threatened US-led military strikes following an apparent chemical weapons attack.
The pope will host a peace vigil in St Peter’s Square on Saturday.
Yesterday, the Vatican summoned ambassadors accredited to the Holy See to outline its position, calling for the respect for all minorities including Christians, and for Syria’s opposition forces to distance themselves from extremists. — guardian.co.uk.
Wenslus Murape
Online Reporter