Francisco denounces a “serious situation” and recalls the suffering of the hostages and the people of Gaza
Photo: Lusa/EPA
Vatican City, December 3, 2023 (Ecclesia) The Pope called for a new ceasefire between Israel and Palestine at the Vatican today, warning of the “serious” situation in the region.
“I hope that all parties involved can reach a new ceasefire agreement as soon as possible and find solutions other than weapons to pursue courageous paths to peace,” he said in a speech read out after the recitation of the Angelus prayer , broadcast live, in St. Peter’s Square and on the Holy See’s digital channels.
As on November 26, due to his health, Francisco led the prayer at the Casa de Santa Marta, where he lives, accompanied by Monsignor Paolo Luca Braida of the Vatican Secretariat of State.
“It is sad that the ceasefire is over, it means destruction and misery. Many hostages have been released, but many are still in Gaza. Let us think of them, of their families, who have seen a light, the hope of embracing their loved ones again,” the Pope appealed.
The text points out that “there is great suffering and a lack of basic needs in Gaza.”
The weeklong ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended on Friday morning, marking the resumption of military operations with bombings in the Palestinian enclave.
On October 7, the Islamist group killed another 1,200 people, most of them civilians, injured 5 million and took around 240 hostages on Israeli territory.
Israel’s retaliation in the Gaza Strip resulted in more than 15,200 deaths, most of them civilians, and 1.7 million displaced people, according to the United Nations.
Francisco also remembered the victims of a bombing in the Philippines at the Vatican while celebrating a Mass at the State University of Mindanao, the second largest island in the archipelago.
The Pope appeared “close to the families, to the people of Mindanao who have already suffered so much.”
The attack came three days after the Philippine army killed 11 Islamic militants from the Dawlah Islamiya organization in Mindanao.
O.C