Jerusalem patriarch announces ‘day of prayer and fasting’ on Oct. 7 anniversary

Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, at a meeting with other Arab bishops on Aug. 28, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 26, 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has invited the faithful to participate in a day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 7, one year after Hamas launched its brutal surprise attack on Israel. 

“The month of October is approaching,” Pizzaballa wrote in a Sept. 26 letter addressed to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, “and with it the realization that for the past year the Holy Land, and not only, has been plunged into a vortex of violence and hatred never seen or experienced before.”

“The intensity and impact of the tragedies we have witnessed in the past 12 months have deeply lacerated our conscience and our sense of humanity,” Pizzaballa added, noting how the conflict has “struck a profound blow” to the social and political consciousness of the region.

According to the latest reports, Hamas terrorists killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis during the attacks on Oct. 7, taking an additional 251 civilians hostage. 

The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry estimates that a total of 40,005 Palestinians, and a further 623 in the West Bank, including Hamas militants, have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Meanwhile, the situation between Lebanon and northern Israel has continued to escalate, with ongoing bombings and missile strikes launched on both sides since Oct. 7. 

In the latest Sept. 23 attack, Israel unleashed a series of bombs on Lebanon, which resulted in the deaths of at least 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women. A further 1,800 were also injured in the attacks. 

Israeli forces have since intercepted a Hezbollah ballistic missile fired at Tel Aviv on Sept. 25. It is believed to be the first ballistic missile launched by Hezbollah into Israel.

Since the start of the conflict, Pizzaballa has tirelessly advocated for peace and a cease-fire in the region. In the letter, the Latin patriarch declared that the faithful must continue to call on leaders to recommit themselves to justice, freedom, dignity, and peace. 

“We too have a duty to commit ourselves to peace, first by preserving our hearts from all feelings of hatred, and instead cherishing the desire for good for everyone,” he said. “By committing ourselves, each in our own community contexts and in the forms we can, we should support those in need, help those who are personally invested to alleviate the suffering of those affected by this war, and promote every action of peace, reconciliation, and encounter.”

Pizzaballa also reminded his audience in the missive that the Church celebrates the feast of Mary, Queen of the Rosary, on Oct. 7. 

“May each of us, with the rosary or in whatever form he or she sees fit, personally but better again in community, find a moment to pause and pray, and bring to the ‘merciful Father and God of all consolation’ (2 Cor 1:3) our desire for peace and reconciliation,” he concluded.