Leo makes ‘heartfelt appeal’ for peace after West Bank violence

The Pope also called for an end to fighting across the Middle East ‘where the intensification of military operations has again wreaked violence and destruction, endangering the lives of countless civilians and further aggravating shortages’.

Pope Leo prayed for peace in the Holy Land and a resolution to conflicts across the Middle East after recent violence in the West Bank.

Speaking after the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo on Sunday, the Pope expressed “deep concern [at] the ongoing and escalating violence in the Holy Land, where, in recent days, many civilians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have once again fallen victim”.

Earlier that day, illegal settlers had attacked a village in the West Bank and set fire to two mosques, according to Palestinian officials.

This followed a clash between settlers and Palestinians in the village of Tal on 24 July in which four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed, the latest in a series of violent incidents this year in which dozens have died.

“I make a heartfelt appeal for a return to negotiations to achieve a just political solution, founded on the equal dignity and equal rights of every human person,” Pope Leo said on Sunday.

“At the same time, I urge the rejection of further military actions and unilateral decisions, especially those that violate the respect for and the status quo of the holy places of every religion.”

Fr Ibrahim Faltas OFM, head of schools for the Custody of the Holy Land, said the Pope’s appeal for an end to violence “must be heard – both by those who perpetrate it and by those who fail to intervene to stop this endless spiral”.

Writing on the Vatican News website on Sunday, Fr Faltas said the West Bank was “burning, bleeding, crying out in pain and suffering” and “no longer recognisable” due to illegal settlements and the military checkpoints that divide the territory.

“People are dying in an unofficial war, undeclared but that continues, constant and widespread,” he said. 

“The people are desperate and terrified by the countless raids carried out by settlers who, with impunity, are able to spread fear and terror among the poor people who can no longer find refuge or safety even in their own homes.”

Fr Gabriel Romanelli IVE, parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza, reported that his community had received a brief message from the Pope on 25 July expressing his support for them and his gratitude to the clergy and religious who remain in the territory.

In his Angelus address, Pope Leo also appealed for an end to fighting across the Middle East “where the intensification of military operations has again wreaked violence and destruction, endangering the lives of countless civilians and further aggravating the shortages of drinking water and electricity”.

He continued: “From the depths of my heart, I exhort all parties involved to suspend the attacks and urgently reopen paths of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the longed-for peace for the entire region may be achieved without delay.”

The US resumed strikes on Iran earlier this month after the collapse of ceasefire negotiations but halted them again on 24 July.  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly urged President Donald Trump to resume the attacks.

Speaking to reporters in Rome on 22 July while strikes continued, the Holy See’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said he hoped for a return to negotiations “for the good of the world” because “these situations put peace at risk”.

“I do not know how this will end. I think very few people know – perhaps no one,” he said.

West Bank Christians plea for protection against land seizure

Finding common ground in the Middle East conflict

Stay updated — add us as a preferred news source on Google: