Pope Francis Prays for Israel and Gaza

October 27, 2023195 views0

Pope Francis Prays for Israel and Gaza

2023-10-27T11:39:08+01:00

By Church News

Pope Francis has called for an end to the conflict in Israel and Gaza, praying for hostages to be freed and for humanitarian aid to continue to arrive in Gaza.Speaking at his Sunday address from the window of the Papal apartments overlooking St Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Francis said, ”Once again my thoughts go to what is happening in Israel and Palestine. I am very concerned and saddened.“I pray for and am close to all those who are suffering, the hostages, the injured, the victims and their families. I think of the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, and I am saddened that the Anglican hospital and the Greek Orthodox parish have also been hit in recent days.“I renew my appeal for spaces to be opened, for humanitarian aid to continue to arrive, and for hostages to be freed. War, every war in the world, I am also thinking of the martyred Ukraine, is a defeat. War is always a defeat. It is the destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop, stop.”The same day, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Pope Francis to discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the White House and the Vatican said in separate statements.They discussed “the need to prevent escalation in the region and to work toward a durable peace in the Middle East,” the White House said.The Vatican earlier said the call, which lasted about 20 minutes, “focused on conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace.”In his call with Pope Francis, Biden, who is a Catholic, condemned the attack by Hamas and affirmed the need to protect civilians in Gaza, the White House said.They also discussed Biden’s recent visit to Israel and efforts for delivery of food, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance in Gaza, according to the White House.ALSO READ: CeCe Winans Releases “Holy Forever”