Over the years, the Catholic Church has played a vital and key role in healing and dressing the wounds of humanity. Recalling the bloody events and the conflagrations that are currently taking place in various parts of the world, one would ponder at the world affairs and question the fate of humanity that is currently shoved into a stage confusion and perplexity, as well as being drifted into an unpredictable bleak abyss.
Apart from the damage caused to nature by the malpractices of industrial countries which wreak havoc on all walks of life, the world is suffering from the outbreak of grave wars in various parts of the world. While not ignoring the wars erupting in Ukraine and the Sudan which really have a heavy toll on world economies and cause a huge toll on life, one cannot turn a blind eye to the underway over six-month old bloody conflict raging in the Gaza Strip which produced flushing streams of blood, and increased miseries that scuttle prospects for a better life in the future.
His Holiness Pope Francis has repeatedly prayed from peace in the Middle East including the Gaza Strip, and reiterated his fervent calls for attaining peace in the Holy Land, which has over the past decades saw one wave after the other of wars, violence, and orchestrated loss of life.
In the meantime, it has been reported that Pope Francis intends to launch a project to “help the population” of Gaza or the West Bank “resume a more dignified life and create job opportunities once the war is over. This attitude undertaken by the Pope represents the utmost application of divine mercy as stipulated by the teachings of the Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ.
According to the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, the Pope intends to launch this project to “help the population” of Gaza or the West Bank “resume a more dignified life and create job opportunities once the war is over.”
Actually, the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza on October 7, 2023 'paralyzed the Holy Land,' said the dicastery, while the subsequent lack of pilgrims and tourists had “put thousands of people in difficulty”.
As the funds dedicated for the papal initiative will come partly through offerings made to the Vatican on Good Friday, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery, said that the funds would mean “the Holy Father can support the local Churches in finding new ways, new opportunities for housing, work and educational and professional training so that they may remain and not get lost in the West.”
During his recent visit to Jordan marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Jordan, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States and International Relations, reiterated, in an exclusive interview conducted by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan, the Holy See's profound concern for the people of Gaza, as there is profound distress for so many deaths and so many wounded people, and there is enormous sympathy and solidarity for the Palestinian people.
Pope Francis has repeatedly prayed for the Holy Land’s Catholics hoping that they would be able to “sense the love of Catholics throughout the world”. He added, "You are not alone… we will never leave you alone but will demonstrate our solidarity with you by prayer and practical charity.”
Furthermore, Pope Francis on Sunday, April 7, 2024 invoked political leaders to pause and make efforts to mediate and to negotiate a path to peace. Speaking during the Regina Coeli address, the Holy Father invited the faithful not to fail in continuing to pray for peace: “A just, lasting peace, especially for the tormented Ukraine and for Palestine and Israel.”
With Pope Francis' unstinting calls for the attainment of a durable solution to the conflicts raging in the Holy Land, with particular reference to the situation in the Gaza Strip, and his endeavor to launch a project to “help the population” of Gaza and the West Bank “resume a more dignified life", the Holy See has thus placed the Holy Land on the right track which guarantees bringing about two goals, namely entrenching peace and creating atmospheres conducive to helping the suffering people in the Holy Land restore normalcy in life, and thus be able to build a better future for the generations to come engulfed with prosperity and common living.
