On the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with all those suffering because of conflicts throughout the Middle East, urged Christians to be peacemakers and warned warmongers they will face God's judgment.
"Blood is still being shed, as are tears," the pope said in a letter to all Catholics in the Middle East. "Anger is growing, along with the desire for revenge, while it seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired: dialogue and peace."
The letter was published Oct. 7, a day the pope asked Catholics worldwide to dedicate to prayer, fasting and being at the service of humanity.
One year ago, militants led by the Islamist group, Hamas, launched a series of armed raids and rocket attacks against Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 others hostage into Gaza -- a territory the group has controlled for decades. Israel declared war to eliminate the group and, since then, at least 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza, more than 700 in the West Bank and more than 1,100 in Israel.
Israel then invaded southern Lebanon Oct. 1 in an escalated military campaign to eliminate Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon and Shiite Muslim political party, and Iran, in turn, fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles onto Israeli territory.
In his letter, the pope told Catholics in the region, "I want to reach out to you on this sad day. A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit; it did not sputter, but exploded in a spiral of violence, in the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war."
He encouraged all Christians living there not to be "engulfed by the darkness that surrounds you." He thanked them for wanting to remain and "for being able to pray and love despite everything."
"As Christians, we must never tire of imploring peace from God," he wrote, which is why "I have urged everyone to observe a day of prayer and fasting," which are "weapons of love" that change history and defeat "the spirit of evil that foments war."
Though the letter was addressed to the region's Catholics, the pope also spoke to all people "of every confession and religion who in the Middle East are suffering from the insanity of war," telling them, "I am close to you, I am with you."
He specifically expressed his closeness to "the people of Gaza, long embattled and in dire straits," as well as with those who have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.
"I am with you, the mothers who weep while looking at your dead or wounded children, like Mary at the sight of Jesus; with you, the children of the great lands of the Middle East, where the intrigues of those in power deprive you of your right to play," he wrote.
Pope Francis lamented that "despite all the talk of plans and strategies, there is little concern for those who suffer the devastation of war, which the powerful impose on others."
However, he warned, the powerful who impose such wars on others "will be subject to the inflexible judgment of God."
The pope thanked all the people around the world who have been assisting those in need in the Middle East, and he thanked the region's bishops and priests, "who bring God's consolation to those who feel alone and abandoned. Please look to the holy people you are called to serve and let your hearts be touched, putting aside, for the sake of your flock, all division and ambition."
On the vigil of the Oct. 7 anniversary, the pope led a recitation of the rosary for peace with members of the Synod of Bishops, pilgrims, ambassadors accredited to the Vatican and Catholics from the Diocese of Rome at Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who runs the office of papal charities, asked the more than 360 people taking part in the second session of the synod to donate to a special fund for Gaza.
Speaking to participants Oct. 7 in the Paul VI Audience Hall, the cardinal said there would be a collection basket in the hall that afternoon.
"The Holy Father asked us to be especially united today" in prayer and fasting for peace in the world, the cardinal's office said in a communique.
"But prayer and fasting are not done without almsgiving, which must make us suffer, must make us hurt, too, because we are giving up something that belongs to us to give it to someone who is in difficulty or is even dying," the statement said.
Funds would go directly to Father Gabriel Romanelli, a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word who has been the parish priest of the Church of the Holy Family in the Gaza Strip since 2019.
The pope has called the Argentine priest every day for the past year "to support the community that has gathered at and lives near the church," which includes Christians, Muslims and Jews, the office said.
