During his Angelus address, Francis also requested prayers ahead of his visit to Mexico

Rome ,Catholic Herald, 8 Feb 2016– Pope Francis appealed for international help for Syrian civilians caught in the country’s five-year civil war.
Speaking yesterday in St Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Francis said: “I follow with deep concern the dramatic fate of civilian populations involved in heavy fighting in their beloved Syria, and who are forced to leave everything behind in order to escape the horrors of war.”
In his post-Angelus address, the Pope expressed hope that, “with generous solidarity,” the Syrian people might receive the help they need “to ensure their survival and dignity.”
The Pontiff also appealed to the international community, and stressed that only a political solution will resolve the conflict and secure “a future of reconciliation and peace in that beloved and martyred country.”
He then led the crowds in praying the Hail Mary “to Our Lady for the beloved Syria”.
Last weekend thousands of civilians fled from rebel-held Aleppo after the Syrian government’s Russian allies began a bombardment of the country’s second city.
An estimated 250,000 people have been killed since the war began in March 2011 and 11 million are displaced.