On October 7, it will be one year since the attack that reignited the armed conflict in Gaza. In this context, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa has urged the Diocese of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to participate in a day of prayer and fasting, to end the war.
“The month of October is approaching, and with it the harsh reality that, for a year now, the Holy Land has fallen into a whirlwind of unprecedented violence and hatred,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said in his statement. He lamented that the tragedies experienced in the past year have left a deep mark on “our conscience and sense of humanity.”
The archbishop called on the faithful to participate in this day of prayer, fasting, and penance on October 7, a date that represents “the symbol of the tragedy we are experiencing.”
A senseless war
The armed conflict was rekindled on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,205 Israelis. In response, the Israeli military campaign has caused the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.
The clashes, which have claimed thousands of innocent lives, have also permeated political and social language and actions, the cardinal stressed. The Diocese has repeatedly condemned “this senseless war and the circumstances that have generated it,” calling on everyone to stop this spiral of violence and seek ways to resolve the conflict that consider the justice, dignity and security of all.
Cardinal Pizzaballa reiterated his call to rulers and those responsible for making decisions, urging them to commit to justice, respect for human rights, freedom, dignity and peace. He also urged communities to help those most in need and those working to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the war, promoting actions that favor peace, reconciliation and encounter. “We must unite in prayer, presenting to God our pain and desire for peace. It is time to convert, do penance and ask for forgiveness,” he emphasized.
A moment for prayer
Faced with the continuing conflict, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem stressed that October 7 not only remembers the attack that started the war, but is also the day on which Our Lady of the Rosary is commemorated. He therefore invited the faithful to “each one, with his or her rosary or in whatever way best suits him or her, find a moment to pause and pray, either personally or, better still, in community. Let us bring before the ‘Merciful Father and God of all consolation’ (2 Cor 1:3) our desire for peace and reconciliation.” He also invoked the “intercession of Mary, Queen of the Rosary, for this beloved Earth and its inhabitants.”
