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How much blood has been shed … our efforts have been in vain!
Ten years later, the same complaint to God was raised as Pope Francis repeated his prayer for the Holy Land, the same one he voiced 10 years ago.
This June 7, 2024, in the Vatican Gardens, the Holy Father commemorated the peace meeting he celebrated with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents in 2014. Under the olive tree he planted at the time, in the presence of ambassadors from both countries, the Pontiff once again called for a ceasefire in the territory.
On June 8, 2014, shortly after his trip to the Holy Land, the Argentine Pontiff had invited the two presidents, the late Shimon Peres, and Mahmoud Abbas, to take part in a peace ceremony with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I.
It was a historic moment, and the powerful image of the presidents of the two enemy states embracing in front of the man in white is still remembered today.
At the time, the latent conflict that divided the two peoples on the territory was to turn into open warfare as early as July. Ten years on, the situation has hardly changed. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still raging in the Gaza Strip, following the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7.
Pope Francis, who tirelessly calls for an end to hostilities, wished to commemorate this anniversary and once again invoke peace for this torn land. In the shadow of St. Peter’s dome, he presided over a moment of commemoration surrounded by some 50 diplomats – including the Palestinian, Israeli, Ukrainian, and Russian ambassadors – representatives of the Roman Jewish community and of Rome’s Grand Mosque, as well as some 20 cardinals.
The illusion and ideology of conflict
Sheltered under the olive tree – then a shrub and now several meters tall – that had been planted 10 years earlier in this corner of the Gardens bordered by protective hedges, the head of the Catholic Church deplored the current situation. “We see […] so many innocent people dying before our eyes,” he lamented.
Against a backdrop of birds chirping in the lush greenery of the gardens, Pope Francis denounced deceptions:
Instead of deceiving ourselves that war can resolve problems and bring about peace, we need to be vigilant and critical towards an ideology that is unfortunately dominant today, which claims that “conflict, violence and breakdown are part of the normal functioning of a society” (ibid., 236). What is really at stake are the power struggles between different social groups, partisan economic interests, and international political maneuverings aimed at an apparent peace yet fleeing from real problems.
“Every day, I pray that this war will finally end,” confided the 266th Pope, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, as well as the humanitarian aid needed.
Young woman of Nazareth
The Holy Father concluded with his prayer of 10 years ago:
Let us ask the Lord that the leaders of nations and the parties in conflict may find the way to peace and unity. May we all recognize each other as brothers and sisters. Let us ask the Lord for this, and through the intercession of Mary, the young woman of Nazareth and Queen of Peace, let us repeat the prayer we made ten years ago:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer! We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain.
Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Amen.
Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness.
Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman.
Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, “sister”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen.
And today we celebrate...