He remembered the 10th anniversary of the Invocation for Peace in the Holy Land with Shimon Peres and Abu Mazen. “To make peace takes courage, much more courage than to make war,” he added. And regarding the summit on Tuesday the 11th between Jordan, Egypt and the UN on the humanitarian situation in Gaza: “I encourage the international community to act urgently.”
Vatican City () – An “international conference on the humanitarian situation in Gaza” will be held in Jordan on Tuesday, June 11. This morning, Pope Francis, after praying the Angelus, recalled this important meeting, a ray of hope for peace in the region, which consists of a summit between the Hashemite king Abd Allah II, the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres. “While I thank you for this important initiative, I encourage the international community to act urgently with all means to come to the aid of the population of Gaza, exhausted by the war,” said the Pontiff. According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, there are 37,084 victims; In the last few hours more than 270 Palestinians have died in the Nuseirat refugee camp area.
“Humanitarian aid must be able to reach those who need it and no one can stop it.” The historic meeting that took place in the Vatican 10 years ago, on June 8, 2014, between “the Israeli president, the late Shimon Peres, and the Palestinian president, Abu Mazen” was then recalled: the Invocation for Peace in Holy Land. “This meeting testifies that shaking hands is possible. And that to make peace requires courage, much more courage than to make war,” Bergoglio continued from the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace. He then encouraged negotiations between the parties, “which are not easy”: “I hope that the peace proposals for a ceasefire on all fronts and for the release of the hostages will be accepted immediately for the good of the Palestinians and Israelis”. These words come after yesterday’s news of the release by the IDF of four hostages held in the Strip since October 7 as part of the operation called “Arnon.”
Pope Francis also dedicated a thought to the “tormented Ukrainian people, who suffer the most and long for peace.” Greeting a group of people who brought several yellow and blue flags to St. Peter’s Square this morning, he said: “I encourage all the efforts that are being made so that peace can be built as soon as possible with international help.” And he added: “And let’s not forget Myanmar.”
As usual, before praying the Marian prayer, Pope Francis commented on the Word of the day (Mc 3:22-30). The passage from the evangelist Mark narrates the accusation made to Jesus by the scribes of being “possessed by Beelzebub.” In fact, when Jesus begins his public ministry he experiences a “double reaction” from the people around him. That of his relatives, who thought that he had lost his mind, and that of the religious authorities “who accused him of acting motivated by an evil spirit.” In reality, “Jesus preached and healed the sick by the power of the Holy Spirit,” Bergoglio said. And it was precisely the Spirit that could make him “divinely free”, that is, “capable of loving and serving without measure or conditioning.” And precisely on Jesus’ own freedom the Pontiff stopped in the reflection shared this morning.
Jesus was free, first of all, from riches, as soon as he left the security of his home in Nazareth to live “a life of poverty and uncertainty.” But also of power. “Although he called many to follow him, he never forced anyone to do so, nor did he seek the support of the powerful. Instead, he always took the side of the least,” Francis continued. Furthermore, freedom included the absence of attachment to fame and approval. “That’s why he never gave up telling the truth, even at the cost of not being understood.” The freedom lived and made his own by Jesus is a great lesson in the sense that all people can make it their own. If we “allow the free love of God to fill and expand our hearts,” without becoming slaves to “pleasure, power, money or consensus.” Finally, Pope Francis addressed questions to those in attendance to ask them to question the topic of freedom in life. Among them: “Do I spread, in the environments in which I live and work, an air of freedom, sincerity, and spontaneity?”
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