Cardinal Charles Bo of Myanmar tells CNA that intends to deliver the following remarks during the general congregations ahead of the May 7 conclave to elect a new pope:
“We stand at a crossroads of history.
“Across the broken plains of Gaza, the devastated cities of Ukraine, the silent cries of Myanmar, and the scorched fields of Africa, the world groans for peace. This is not a time for hesitation — a true tribute to the late Pope Francis is to pursue peace without pause.
“We remember with trembling reverence how Pope Francis, frail yet fierce, knelt before the leaders of South Sudan, pleading for peace with the urgency of a father for his wounded children. That moment became a sermon stronger than any words, a proclamation that true leadership flows from humility, not domination. His voice was not a political calculation — it was a cry from the heart of Christ.
“Yet the storms rage fiercer still. Today, six major wars and more than 20 smaller conflicts continue to kill thousands and displace millions. It is a valley of tears across many nations. No one can escape the machinery of hatred.
“At this very hour, over 13,000 nuclear weapons remain armed and ready enough to destroy human civilization several times over. A single moment of madness, a single spark of hatred could unleash a nuclear holocaust, turning cities to ash, rivers to poison, and the sky to darkness.
“Meanwhile, global warming devastates our common home. Crops wither, rivers dry up, glaciers melt, and the earth itself groans in anguish. Scientists warn that tomorrow’s wars may not be fought over oil but over water — the very blood of life itself.
“We need a voice! A voice that evangelizes the hardened hearts of those who threaten the very survival of humanity and nature. A voice that calls humanity back from the edge of destruction!
“Indeed, the next pope will nurture the Catholic faith and lead the Church into a deeper encounter with Jesus and his Trinitarian mission of love on earth. But the Incarnation cries out today: We must renew and strengthen the instruments of peace — the United Nations, international courts, and humanitarian accords. Yet these structures are lifeless without the breath of moral authority.
“Religions must unite in a common cause to save humanity. The world urgently needs a new breath of hope — a synodal journey that chooses life over death, hope over despair.
“The next pope must be that breath!”
