To commemorate the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, Pope Francis has called on Catholics to observe a day of prayer and fasting for peace on October 7. In response to this call, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishopsinvited the bishops and parishioners of the country to "unite in fervent prayer for the end of violence and to open the way to reconciliation and peace.
In a letter sent to the U.S. bishops on Oct. 2, Bishop Broglio points out that both the loss of life in Israel and Gaza and the increase in hate crimes in the U.S. have led to a rise in the number of people killed in Israel and Gaza. United States are a source of great pain.
Compassion, he said, "is not a zero-sum game. We hear the cries of lament from all our Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim and Christian brothers and sisters who have been traumatized by these events. We join in mourning for those who lost their lives and share the fervent desire for lasting peace," the prelate said.
In this regard, Bishop Broglio called to combat all forms of hatred towards Jews and Muslims and to work for lasting peace. Our faith, Broglio said, teaches us to have hope even in the darkest circumstances, because Christ has risen from the dead: "from death, God brings forth a new creation. As this anniversary approaches, at a time of anguish and trauma, let us look for ways to express our solidarity with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters. Let us commit ourselves to working for lasting peace in the land where the Lord Jesus was born," he concluded.
