There are only a few days left before the war in Gaza reaches its one-year anniversary. And the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem continues to call for a ceasefire and an end to the violence.
In a statement, Cardinal Pizzaballa expressed his sorrow and appealed to Catholics in the Holy Land, to have a day of prayer, fasting and penance for 7 October. His message reads in part:
“The realisation that for the past year the Holy Land, and not only, has been plunged into a vortex of violence and hatred never seen or experienced before. The intensity and impact of the tragedies we have witnessed in the past twelve months have deeply lacerated our conscience and our sense of humanity.”
On that 7 October, Hamas launched an attack on a music festival in southern Israel, murdering over 360 people. Since then, the escalation of tension in the region has continued to rise.