The Pope has spoken of his closeness to people suffering within the war between Israel and Gaza as he called for dialogue to revive peace within the region and condemned the international community for failing to halt the conflict.
Pope Francis feelings on the conflict were expressed in a letter to Catholics within the Holy Land on the primary anniversary of the October seventh terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, through which over 1,000 Israelis died and tons of more were taken hostage.
He decried the “spiral of violence” that has engulfed the region for the reason that attack and “the shameful inability of the international community and probably the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war”.Â
The Pope conveyed his closeness to those that “suffer the devastation which the powerful impose on others”, and spoke with particular feeling towards the “small, defenceless flock” of believers who’ve remained within the Holy Land despite the devastation around them.Â
“I’m considering of you and praying for you,” he wrote, adding that they were “experiencing an actual martyrdom” as he asked them to sow “seeds of peace” and be “witnesses to the facility of a non-violent peace”.
Catholics world wide marked Monday’s anniversary by joining in a day of prayer and fasting.
Using his letter to call for an end to the conflict, Francis said, “Anger is growing, together with the will for revenge, while plainly few people care about what’s most needed and what’s most desired: dialogue and peace.”
He continued, “War is a defeat. Weapons don’t construct the longer term but destroy it, violence never brings peace. History proves this, yet years and years of conflict appear to have taught us nothing.”
