The 87-year-old Pope said in an open letter to Catholic Christians in the region, “The fuse of hatred was lit a year ago, and it did not explode, but it set off a spiral of violence.”
He added, “It seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired: dialogue and peace… Violence never brings peace. History proves this, and yet years and years of conflict seem to have taught us nothing,” according to Reuters.
Pope Francis has spoken more openly in the past few weeks about the conflict between Hamas and Israel and has become more explicit in his criticism of the Israeli military campaign.
The Pope also made Monday a day in which Catholics around the world fast and pray for peace.
On September 29, the Pope criticized the Israeli air strikes on Lebanon that resulted in the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, in addition to civilians, and said that the air strikes “exceeded (the limits of) morality.”
Earlier in September, the Pope described Israel’s actions in Lebanon as “unacceptable” and called on the international community to do everything in its power to stop the fighting.
In his message today, Monday, the Pope spoke directly to the residents of Gaza, saying, “I am with you, people of Gaza, who have been suffering for a long time and are subjected to severe distress. My heart is with you and I pray for you daily.”
He added, “I am with you, you who were forced to leave your homes, education, and work and were forced to look for a place where you can take shelter from the bombing. I am with you, you who are afraid to look up for fear that the sky will rain fire.”
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