“We are looking for contacts on both sides,” said Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin about the Holy See’s diplomatic approach to the Middle East conflict. The cardinal clarified that he was referring to the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. “As Saint Paul said, it is necessary ‘spes contra spem’, we must hope when there is no more hope. When there are reasons for hope, it is simple, not as in this case, but we must have hope that we can overcome.” “This tragic moment,” he told ANSA on the sidelines of the inauguration of the headquarters of the World Jewish Congress at the Vatican . “I reiterate our strong condemnation of the horrific attacks and hostage-taking by Hamas. Our thoughts and prayers are with the hostages and their families and I join the Pope in calling for their immediate release,” he said during the inauguration of Hamas’s World Jewish Center headquarters on Via della Conciliazione. “Acts of violence and terrorism do not contribute to resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine, they only bring great suffering to innocent people.” Parolin spoke about the event with the international Jewish community as an “important evening for dialogue between Christians and Jews,” “They show the bond that binds us together as children of the same God.”
