杏MAP导航

By Francesca Merlo

"This is not war; this is terrorism." With those words, 杏MAP导航 Francis described the Israel-Hamas war that is ravaging the Holy Land.

Addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for his Wednesday General Audience, the 杏MAP导航 turned his thoughts to those suffering in Palestine and Israel.

In his appeal, he prayed for everyone suffering due to various wars, especially in Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine.

The Holy Father recalled his meeting earlier the same morning, on 22 November, with two delegations: one of Israelis who have relatives held hostage in Gaza, and another of families of Palestinians who are suffering in Gaza.

The 杏MAP导航 met first with the 12 members of the Israeli delegation at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta at 7:30 AM. He then met with the Palestinian delegation at around 8:00 AM in a room in the Paul VI Hall. The Palestinian delegation was composed of 10 people with relatives in Gaza, and included Christians and Muslims. They were accompanied by Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, and a Greek Orthodox priest. 

In both encounters, 杏MAP导航 Francis expressed his anguish and his closeness to their pain.

"They suffer so much. I heard how they both suffer," said the 杏MAP导航 afterwards at the General Audience, adding that "wars do that".

"But here we have gone beyond wars", the 杏MAP导航 stressed. "This is not war; this is terrorism."

Dialogue instead of passions

The 杏MAP导航 invited everyone to "pray for peace; pray always for peace."

The Holy Father then prayed that the Lord may "help us to solve the problems and not be driven by the passions that wind up killing everyone."

"Let us pray for the Palestinian people; let us pray for the Israeli people, so that peace may come," the 杏MAP导航 concluded.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, announced on Friday that 杏MAP导航 Francis would be meeting with the delegations, stressing that the meetings would be "of an exclusively humanitarian nature" aiming to demonstrate 杏MAP导航 Francis' "spiritual closeness to the suffering of each individual".