Over the course of the last several months, we’ve witnessed meaningful escalations in multiple conflict zones across the globe. In Syria, an ISIS incursion into the Yarmouk refugee camp transformed an already desperate humanitarian crisis into what U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called “the worst circle of hell,” as Palestinian fighters sought to repel ISIS and al-Nusra while dodging a barrage of barrel bombs launched by the Assad regime. In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis literally ran the US puppet government out of the country as deposed President Hadi fled to Riyadh prompting the Saudis to launch a series of airstrikes that were invariably accompanied by “collateral damage” (i.e. dead civilians). Finally, Ukraine continues to be plagued by sporadic fighting as the Minsk agreement has proven to be a “cease fire” only in name.

As the intensity and prevalence of global proxy warfare increases, expect the ‘important’ nations pulling the strings to ramp up the arms race, funneling billions into defense industry coffers in the process. Indeed, the top 100 suppliers alone pulled in nearly a half trillion dollars in 2013 and that doesn’t count China, which is now the third largest arms exporter on the planet.

Against this backdrop, the Pope has a rather depressing message for the world’s children: the world’s most powerful people don’t want peace.

Via RT:

Many powerful people don't want peace because they live off war," the Pontiff said as he met with pupils from Rome’s primary schools in the Nervi Audience Hall. Talking to children during the audience organized by the Peace Factory Foundation, he explained that every war has the arms industry behind it. "This is serious. Some powerful people make their living with the production of arms and sell them to one country for them to use against another country,” the Pope was cited by AGI news agency as saying. The head of the Catholic Church labeled the arms trade “the industry of death, the greed that harms us all, the desire to have more money." “The economic system orbits around money and not men, women,” he told 7,000 kids present at the audience. Despite the fact that wars “lose lives, health, education,” they are being waged to defend money and make even more profit, the Pope said. “The devil enters through greed and this is why they don't want peace," 78-year-old Francis said.

For those who are curious, here are the top 20 'evil' profiteers who dabble in the death trade: