Pope pleads for ceasefire in Gaza, hostage release and protection of children

The Pope returns to the war in the Middle East: "Please stop, in the name of God." Special concern for the children victims of the violence: "Their future is being killed." He also launches a new appeal that a widening of the conflict be avoided at all costs.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - “I continue to think about the serious situation in Palestine and Israel, where so many people have lost their lives. Please stop, in the name of God." Even today, at the end of the Angelus prayer, a thought from Pope Francis regarding the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land was not missing. “Let there be a ceasefire” he asked, "similar to last week. I hope that all avenues are followed to absolutely avoid an escalation of the conflict."

The latest news from the Strip speaks of Israeli raids which yesterday hit the Catholic school of the Sisters of the Rosary, of the Latin Patriarchate, in the Tel al-Hawa area, and another school in the north managed by the UN.

About 700 people are currently being refuged by the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City. “The wounded can be helped and aid can reach the population of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very serious" - continued the pontiff. "Release the hostages immediately. Among them there are also many children. They must return to their families."

The plight of the children dominated the Pope's concerns this morning. As of October 7, of the 9,500 victims, 3,900 were children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Pope spoke of them and of those also involved "in Ukraine and other conflicts".

“This is killing their future,” he said before launching a renewed appeal: “Let's pray that they have the strength to say enough is enough.”

Before the Angelus, shortly after looking out of the window of the study in the Apostolic Palace, Francis, referring to the Gospel of the day (Mt 23, 1-12), said that Jesus "uses very severe words".

In fact, Jesus addresses the crowd and his disciples speaking of scribes and Pharisees, "the religious leaders of the people", saying that "they say and do not do" (v. 3) and that "all their works they do to be admired from the people” (v. 5). Starting from these words in his commentary the Holy Father decided to focus on two aspects: "the distance between saying and doing and the primacy of the external over the internal".

On the first aspect, Pope Francis explained that Jesus to these "teachers of Israel", who teach the Word of God and claim to be respected, "disputes the duplicity of their life", or rather the inconsistency of preaching something different from what they live.

Duplicity is a "danger to be vigilant about": "it puts at risk the authenticity of our testimony and our credibility as people and as Christians", said the pontiff. A danger that can be encountered especially by those who hold a role of responsibility "in life, in society, or in the Church". “For a priest, a pastoral worker, a politician, a teacher or a parent, this rule always applies: what you say, what you preach to others, you must commit to living it first,” he added.

Going deeper into the second aspect, "the primacy of the external over the internal", the Pope explained that "living in duplicity, the scribes and Pharisees are worried about having to hide their inconsistency to save their external reputation".

These carry out actions "to appear right", these are ploys staged with the intention of "saving face". For the pontiff this is a "trick": "showing yourself beautiful on the outside to hide the rottenness that is inside"; a mechanism familiar to all people. The way forward is, instead, that of taking care of our interiority, to be coherent and credible Christians.

It is precisely starting from these suggestions deriving from the Word of the day that Francis at the end of the comment asked the faithful listening to ask themselves if they too live "in duplicity", and if they are capable of taking care of the "inner life in the sincerity of the heart ”.

He concluded by addressing the Holy Virgin: “May she who lived with integrity and humility of heart according to the will of God help us to become credible witnesses of the Gospel”.