Cardinal Pietro Parolin, speaking in Naples at the opening of the 75th National Liturgical Week, expresses his deep concern over the Israeli bombing of Gaza, saying it makes “no sense” and warning of the worsening humanitarian crisis.
By Vatican News
“We are appalled by what is happening in Gaza, despite the condemnation of the whole world,” Cardinal Parolin said, noting that “there is a unanimity in condemning what is taking place.” Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Liturgical Week, the Cardinal referred to the Israeli strike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which killed 20 people, including five journalists. “It makes no sense,” he said, adding that “there seem to be no openings for a solution” and that the situation is becoming “increasingly complicated and, from a humanitarian perspective, increasingly precarious, with all the consequences we are seeing day by day.”
On the war in Ukraine, the Cardinal stressed the need for “a lot of politics, because in theory there are many possible solutions and many paths that could lead to peace. But they must be put into practice, and this also requires dispositions of the spirit.”
“There is a need for hope for the whole world,” Cardinal Parolin continued, recalling that the Jubilee announced by Pope Francis, dedicated precisely to this theme, aims to be “a moment of regaining hope.” It is, he explained, “a hope against all hope,” at a time when “there are not many reasons to hope, especially at the international level.” Recent days, he said, show once again “the difficulty of setting in motion paths of peace in situations of conflict.” Yet, he insisted, “we must not give in to resignation” but rather “continue to work for peace and reconciliation.”
