Patriarch Pizzaballa sends letter to faithful of Jerusalem, calls for peace

By Devin Watkins

In his pastoral letter released on Tuesday, Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa spoke to the Catholic faithful of his diocese about the “difficult and painful” period they are enduring.

He said people are inundated with “images of horrors” that have “made pain, frustration, and anger explode within us.”

After war broke out on 7 October following a Hamas militant incursion into Israel, Pope Francis called for a Day of Prayer, Fasting, and Penance on Tuesday, 17 October.

Patriarch Pizzaballa expressed his gratitude for the Pope’s initiative and the prayers of people around the world, and invited everyone to renew their prayers for peace on Friday, 27 October, for a second iteration of the Day of Prayer for Peace.

“It is perhaps the main thing we Christians can do at this time: pray, do penance, intercede. For this, we thank the Holy Father from the bottom of our hearts,” he said.

Denouncing atrocities of war

The Italian-born Cardinal Patriarch of Jerusalem went on to urge the faithful to embrace the message of hope which fills the Gospel.

Christians, he said, must start time and again from the Gospel, especially in times of crisis, uniting “our feelings with those of Jesus.”

At the same time, he added, Christians must continue “to speak, to denounce, to call out, as well as to console and encourage.”

He unequivocally condemned the “atrocity” that happened on 7 October, saying the use of violence is not compatible with the Gospel and never brings peace.

“The same conscience, however, with a great burden on my heart,” added Patriarch Pizzaballa, “leads me to state with equal clarity today that this new cycle of violence has brought to Gaza over five thousand deaths, including many women and children, tens of thousands of wounded, neighborhoods razed to the ground, lack of medicine, lack of water and of basic necessities for over two million people.”

He said such tragedies “cannot be understood” and that “we have a duty to denounce and condemn unreservedly.”

“The continuous heavy bombardment that has been pounding Gaza for days will only cause more death and destruction and will only increase hatred and resentment,” he said. “It will not solve any problem, but rather create new ones. It is time to stop this war, this senseless violence.”

Patriarch Pizzaballa called for an end to the “decades of occupation” and “a clear and secure national perspective to the Palestinian people”, which he said is the only way that a serious peace process can begin.

“We owe it to the many victims of these days and to those of years past,” he said. “We do not have the right to leave this task to others.”

Peace of Christ in face of evil

The Cardinal Patriarch then turned his gaze upward to Christ, to offer a perspective of hope for the Christians of the Holy Land, one drawn from the Gospel of John (16:33).

Jesus, said the Patriarch, is reminding His disciples that they have already won the battle, despite the turmoil that may come.

The hearts of Christians, he added, are filled with peace, because Jesus defeated evil on the Cross, “not with weapons, not with political power, not by great means, nor by imposing Himself.”

“It is on this that we stake our faith today,” he said. “Jesus in that verse rightly speaks of courage. Such peace, such love, require great courage.”

The Patriarch said Christian love and peace require us not to allow “hatred, revenge, anger, and pain” to fill our hearts and actions. Rather, we are called to personally commit to justice and denounce the “painful truth of injustice and evil that surrounds us”.

Mourning victims, praying for peace

In conclusion, Patriarch Pizzaballa urged Christians to remain united to one another, even when we disagree.

He also prayed for the innocent victims of the war, and recalled the 18 people who died in the recent bombing at the St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza.

Inviting Christians in the Holy Land to celebrate the feast of the Queen of Palestine, on 25 October, the Patriarch expressed his hope that the “whole diocese will be united on that day in prayer and in solidarity for peace, not worldly peace, but the peace which Christ gives us.”