As indirect ceasefire talks began in Egypt between Israel and Hamas overnight in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem lauded it as an “important and long-awaited first step”. Source: Catholic Review.
Nevertheless, he cautioned that nothing is “entirely clear or definite yet.”
“Many questions remain unanswered, and much still needs to be defined. We must not delude ourselves, but we are pleased that something new and positive is on the horizon,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said in a statement on Sunday.
He echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call for a day of fasting and prayer for peace on Saturday, October 11, and added that the patriarchate of Jerusalem renews its intercessory prayer for peace to its patroness, the Queen of Palestine and of all the Holy Land, as her feast day approaches.
“The end of war does not necessarily mark the beginning of peace, but it is the first essential step toward building it. We have a long road ahead to rebuild trust among ourselves, to make hope tangible, and to free ourselves from the hatred of these years. But we will strive for this, together with the many men and women here who still believe it is possible to imagine a different future,” he said.
Delegations from the US, Israel and Hamas travelled to Egypt in hopes of securing an agreement to end two years of conflict in Gaza, which broke out after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities which left 1200 people dead and 250 taken hostage into Gaza. Of the 48 hostages still remaining in captivity, about 20 are believed to still be alive.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, more than 67,000 people have been killed in the ensuing war.
“We don’t know if this war will truly end, but we do know the conflict will continue because its root causes have yet to be addressed,” Cardinal Pizzaballa added, noting that the path ahead is fraught with challenges.
FULL STORY
Cardinal Pizzaballa welcomes ceasefire talks as first step, urges prayer, perseverance (By Judith Sudilovsky, OSV News via Catholic Review)
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