Pope Francis renews appeal for ceasefire in Middle East

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis renewed his appeal for a ceasefire in the Middle East and warned against spiraling into an even bigger war, at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address in the Vatican.

Addressing the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square after the midday prayer, the Holy Father turned his attention to the war in the Holy Land.

Appeal to release hostages

"Tomorrow," Pope Francis recalled, "will be one year since the terrorist attack against the people in Israel, to whom I renew my sympathy."

"Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza, for whom," he appealed, "I call for their immediate release."

Since that day, the Holy Father decried, "the Middle East has plunged into ever greater suffering, with destructive military actions that continue to affect the Palestinian population."

Humanitarian aid in Gaza

The Pope turned to the great suffering of the people of Gaza and the other territories.

"These are mostly innocent civilians, all people who must receive all the humanitarian aid they need."

Immediate ceasefire

The Pope called for an "immediate ceasefire" on all fronts, including Lebanon, inviting the faithful in joining him in praying "for the Lebanese people, especially for the inhabitants of the south, who are forced to leave their villages."

"I call on the international community," the Pope continued, "to put an end to the spiral of vengeance and to stop any more attacks, like the one carried out by Iran a few days ago, which could plunge the region into an even bigger war."

"All nations," he said, "have the right to exist in peace and security, and their territories must not be attacked or invaded; sovereignty must be respected and guaranteed by dialogue and peace, not hatred and war."

Rosary for peace and Day of Prayer and Fasting

In this context, the Pope recalled that later in the day he will travel to Rome's Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray a rosary for peace.

Last Wednesday, at the Opening Mass of the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis announced that he was declaring this October 7th as a day of fasting and prayer for peace in the world.

Encouraging faithful to join him in these prayer initiatives, he said, "Let us unite with the power of Good against the diabolical plots of war."

Consistory announcement and closeness to flood-affected Bosnia and Herzegovina

Finally, before announcing he would hold an 8 December consistory for the creation of new Cardinals in the Vatican, the Holy Father expressed his closeness to those suffering from natural disasters.

"I am close," he reassured, "to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina affected by the floods."

"May the Lord," Pope Francis commended, "receive the deceased, comfort their families and sustain those communities."

Devastating flooding in Bosnia and Herzegovina