Just a day after his historic speech to the U.S. Congress, Pope Francis addressed the U.N. calling for world powers to stop putting political interests ahead of human suffering in the Middle East.  

“We cannot permit ourselves to postpone ‘certain agendas’ for the future. The future demands of us critical and global decisions in the face of worldwide conflicts which increase the number of the excluded and those in need.”

Pope Francis, the 5th Pope to address the U.N. in history, also stressed a call for peace and environmental justice, and blame the exploitation of natural resources on “a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity.”

The Pope addressed issues such as the environment, weapons of mass destruction, persecution of Christians and all religious groups and the importance of remembering those who are cast off and forgotten.  

“The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic.”

After concluding his speech the Pope’s next stop was an emotional visit to the 9/11 Monument. Speaking in Spanish, Pope Francis addressed the crowd,

“This is a place where we shed tears” he said. “We weep out of a sense of helplessness in the face of injustice, murder, and the failure to settle conflicts through dialogue. Here we mourn the wrongful and senseless loss of innocent lives because of the inability to find solutions which respect the common good. This flowing water reminds us of yesterday’s tears, but also of all the tears still being shed today.”