In a letter to Catholics in the Middle East today, Pope Francis criticized the “shameful inability” of the major powers to achieve a ceasefire in the region, on the one-year anniversary of the attack by the Islamist group Hamas on Israel.
“A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit. It has not been extinguished, but it has ignited a spiral of violence,” made possible by the ‘shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war,’ the Pope said.
Francis called for today to be a day of prayer and fasting, as it marks one year since the Hamas attacks on Israel, which left more than 1,200 people dead and around 250 kidnapped.
Since October 7, 2023, Francis has been calling for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“I never tire of repeating that war is a defeat, that weapons do not build the future but destroy it, that violence never brings peace. History shows this and yet years and years of conflict seem to have taught us nothing,” the Pope lamented in his letter to Catholics.
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