Austria’s Catholic bishops commented on the attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. They were “deeply shocked by the extent of brutality and violence in the Holy Land,” said a statement after the bishops’ conference’s autumn general assembly. At the same time, all those responsible were called to work for a “just peace”. A separate statement condemns the renewed rise in anti-Semitism.
“The unbelievable murders of civilians and the taking of hostages cannot be justified by anything,” said the president of the Bishops’ Conference, Salzburg Archbishop Franz Lackner, at a press conference on Friday. “Anyone who commits such crimes is certainly not acting in the interests of the Palestinian people.” At the same time, the bishops emphasize Israel’s right to exist and emphasize the State’s right to defend itself.
The appeal of the Catholic bishops is: “All political actors of good will are now called to do their best to contribute to the end of violence, to a just solution and to peaceful coexistence.” At the same time, all Christians, but also believers of other religions, are called “not to give up the prayer for peace for the Holy Land and its inhabitants”, cited Lackner in the statement from the Austrian episcopate.
The bishops also commented on the 85th anniversary of the November pogroms, but also addressed the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting increase in attacks on Jews in the country. This year’s celebration is overshadowed by terror and war in the Holy Land, the statement added. “Since Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel, on innocent life, on Jewish life, a dangerous polarization has occurred in many countries.”
Self-criticism is also expressed in the statement. “The voices inside and outside the church that denounced the injustice of the November pogroms were too calm”, it is said. If Christian churches remember today’s events, “then they stand steadfastly on the side of the Jewish community and its loyalty in faith.”