FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis leads the Pentecost Mass in the Blessed Sacrament chapel of the St. Peter’s Basilica, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Vatican, May 31, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/Pool
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis broke his silence on the unrest in the United States on Wednesday, saying no one can “turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion” but condemning violence as “self-destructive and self-defeating.”
Francis, who dedicated the entire English-language section of his weekly audience to the U.S. situation, implored God for national reconciliation and peace. He called the death of George Floyd tragic, and said he was praying for him and all those who had been killed as a result of the “sin of racism”.
Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Toby Chopra