Pope Francis and Vatican diplomats engage in peace diplomacy

Pope Francis and Vatican diplomats are actively mobilising their efforts to address ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Holy Land.

The Pope has made it clear that pursuing peace is a top priority.

Meanwhile, Vatican officials are working tirelessly to promote peace through various channels.

“I encourage faithful to take only one side in this conflict, the side of peace” Francis said during his weekly audience on October 18.

Vatican diplomats have aligned with international voices in urging a renewed pursuit of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

They are advocating for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state alongside security assurances for Israel. This is a stance consistent with the Holy See’s position since 2013.

Pope Francis also urged the faithful to support the cause of peace. He emphasised the importance of dialogue to end the cycle of violence.

During a visit to a military cemetery on All Souls Day, Francis commented “Wars are always a defeat, always. There is never a total victory. One side wins over the other. But behind that, there is always defeat in the price that has to be paid.”

Francis has also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the creation of humanitarian corridors to help relieve the suffering of its besieged inhabitants.

Serious concern

Meanwhile, Vatican diplomats have engaged with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to promote this message of peace.

The Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, expressed serious concern to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian about the situation in Israel and Palestine.

In response to the conflict in Ukraine, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, as his personal peace envoy.

It remains unclear whether the pope will appoint another envoy for the Mideast. However, Zuppi has weighed in on the hostilities in Gaza. He underlined the need “for an authoritative Palestinian leadership that is capable of defending its people.”

Francis admitted to Italian news channel TG1 that, without paths for dialogue, “the war in the Holy Land scares me” and talked about his concerns for an escalation of the conflict.

“The time is very dark” he said. “We can’t seem to find the ability to think clearly and I will add that it’s a further defeat. It’s been this way since the last world war, from 1945 until now, one defeat after the other because wars never stopped.”

Sources

Religion News Service

Reuters

Additional reading

News category: World.