Pope Francis has castigated the attitude of the great powers in the face of the horror of the situation in the Middle East.
One year after the massacres of October 7 and Israel’s military response in Gaza, while the conflict between the Jewish state, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran has reached a scale that raises fears of a general conflagration in the region , Pope Francis wanted to send a letter to Catholics in the Middle East to express his concern about the situation.
In this letterthe sovereign pontiff expresses his anger towards the actors involved in the region and points out the “shameful incapacity” of the great powers to obtain a ceasefire in the Middle East.
“A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit. It did not go out, but ignited in a spiral of violence,” regrets the pope, who believes that this violence is made possible by “the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the guns and end the tragedy of war.”
Without naming any country, the Pope is however quite clear; are targeted beyond the actors leading the battles: the United States, countries with major diplomatic weight such as the permanent members of the UN including France, and all those who can put forward their influence to bring peace to the region.
“Blood is flowing, tears too, anger is increasing, as is the desire for revenge, while it seems that few care about what is most necessary and what people want: dialogue, peace. I never tire of repeating that war is a defeat, that weapons do not build the future but destroy it, that violence never brings peace. History demonstrates this and yet, years and years. conflicts seem to have taught us nothing,” the pope writes in this message.