“The world is at war; it has lost peace,” Pope Francis said on the plane to Krakow for World Youth Day. But, he insisted, “it is not a war of religions.”

Commenting on what happened in different parts of the world in recent times, and yesterday in France with an attack on a church and the killing of an elderly priest, Francis told the 75 journalists from 15 countries traveling with him that “the word that comes to mind is ‘insecurity,’ but the real word is ‘war.’”


For some time now, he said, he had spoken of a world war “that is taking place in pieces.”

He recalled the world wars of 1914-19 and 1939-45 and said, “There is now this one.”

“It’s not perhaps an organic war [like those], but it is organized. Yes. It is war,” the pope stated.

Referring to the brutal killing of an 86-year-old priest in a church near Rouen, France, the previous day, Francis said, “This holy priest was killed at a moment in which he was offering prayers for the church.” But other people, too, are being killed, he added, including women and children in such places as Nigeria and in other parts of Africa.

“Let’s not be afraid to say so: The world is at war because it has lost peace,” Francis declared.

To avoid any misunderstanding, Francis returned to the subject after greeting each of the journalists individually. He explained, “When I speak of war, I am not speaking of a war of religions. No. There is war, a war for interests, for money, for natural resources, for domination of peoples.”

“All religions want peace; others want war,” he stated.

(NOTE: This is a working translation by America’s correspondent in absence of official one.)