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VATICAN CITY — As fears of a widening war in the Middle East grew again in early August, Pope Francis pleaded with the region’s leaders to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue.
“Let us have the courage to resume dialogue so that there is an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and on all fronts, the hostages are freed and the people are helped with humanitarian aid,” the pope said Aug. 4 after leading the recitation of the Angelus prayer.
“Attacks, even targeted ones, and killings can never be a solution,” the pope told thousands of people gathered in the midday heat to pray with him. The pope’s remarks came after the killing July 31 of a top Hamas leader in Iran — a killing widely attributed to Israel.
Attacks and killings, the pope said, never promote “the path of justice, the path of peace, but generate even more hatred and revenge.”
“Enough, brothers and sisters! Enough,” he said. “Do not stifle the word of the God of peace, but let it be the future of the Holy Land, the Middle East and the entire world! War is a defeat!”
Pope Francis also extended his condolences to members of the Druze community a week after a rocket strike, presumably from Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land also condemned the attack in which 12 children were killed while playing on a soccer field when a rocket struck the Israeli-controlled small town of Majdal Shams near Lebanon.
“These innocent lives, full of hopes and dreams, were taken in an unspeakable act of violence, deeply grieving all who hold life sacred,” the assembly said in a July 28 condolence message.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the entire Druze community in the Holy Land,” the assembly said. “The loss of these children is an unspeakable tragedy, leaving a profound impact on us all. Words cannot fully express the grief and indignation we feel in the face of such an abhorrent act of violence.”
At least 44 other people were injured in the attack. Although Hezbollah did not claim responsibility, days later, Israel carried out a strike on Beirut, which claimed a life of a top Hezbollah commander, the military organization confirmed. The Beirut strike killed at least two children and injured 74 other people.
