Rep. Schiff circulates letter to nom Pope Francis for Nobel Peace Prize

PanARMENIAN.Net - Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced Wednesday, September 23, that he is circulating a letter among his colleagues addressed to the Nobel Committee to nominate Pope Francis as the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

The letter, which will be distributed to both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress before His Holiness’ address to Congress on Thursday, highlights the Pope’s commitment to peace, his leadership in taking on the challenges facing our planet, and his courageous stand for human rights, his pleas on behalf of refugees, and his condemnation of all genocides.

“Pope Francis has been a powerful advocate for peace, urging an end to conflict and support for constitutive ties among nations,” Schiff wrote in the letter. “He has called on the world to use diplomacy and discussion to solve disputes, rather than military force, coercion or intimidation. This commitment to nonviolence, which the Pope has put into practice every day through his words and actions, is at the core of the principles behind the Nobel Peace Prize.”

According to the Congressman, Pope Francis has distinguished himself through his courageous stand for human rights and his condemnations of all genocide, both past and present. Most recently, he said, in condemning the persecution of Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq, the Pope has spoken out against the darkest chapters of human history made possible "by general and collective indifference.”

“For all these reasons and many more, we thank you for your consideration of our nomination of Pope Francis for the Nobel Peace Prize. The receipt of such an award would be a profound recognition of the Pope's commitment to furthering the cause of peace around the world,” Schiff concluded.