Pope appeals to world leaders
International
Stopping the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and other wars has to be a priority with world leaders said Pope Leo X1V on Sunday July 27.
My heart is particularly close to all those who are suffering because of conflicts and violence in the world,” Pope Leo XIV said.
“May the Prince of Peace inspire everyone to seek dialogue and reconciliation,” he said as he prayed “for those affected by the clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, especially the children and displaced families,” and for “the victims of violence in southern Syria”.
Speaking after the recitation of the Angelus Prayer on Sunday July 27, in the wake of a week in which the world saw images of skeletal children filling hospital wards in Gaza, the Pope said “I am following with deep concern the extremely grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the civilian population is being crushed by hunger and continues to be exposed to violence and death”.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and full respect for international humanitarian law,” he said, noting that “every human being has an intrinsic dignity bestowed by God Himself.
“I urge all parties in every conflict to recognise this dignity and to cease all actions that violate it.”
The Pope said he encouraged negotiations toward a future of peace for all peoples and the rejection of anything that could compromise it, and entrusted to Mary, Queen of Peace, “the innocent victims of conflicts and the leaders who have the power to bring them to an end”.
The Pope’s comments follow the release of a statement signed by 111 humanitarian organisations, including Caritas Internationalis, denouncing the Israeli government’s “siege” of Gaza.
The organisations noted the almost daily “massacres” at food distribution sites in Gaza, citing UN confirmation that 875 Palestinians had been killed while seeking food, and thousands of others injured.
It says more than two million Palestinians have been displaced with the latest Israeli displacement order and highlights the warning from the World Food Program that current conditions make operations “untenable”.
The statement goes on to declare bluntly: “The starvation of civilians is a war crime.”
Aid organisations say that in warehouses outside Gaza, and even within the territory itself, there are tons of supplies that could be used to assist civilians, but humanitarian agencies have been blocked from accessing or delivering them.
“The Government of Israel’s restrictions, delays and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,” the statement reads.
“The UN-led humanitarian system has not failed, it has been prevented from functioning.”
Source: Vatican News
