“Shameful”: this message from the Pope addressed to France and the international community on the war in the Middle East

Pope Francis has castigated the attitude of the major powers in the face of the horror of the situation in the Middle East.

A year after the massacres of October 7 and Israel's military response in Gaza, while the conflict between the Hebrew State, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran has taken on a scale that raises fears of a generalized conflagration of the region, Pope Francis has written a letter to Catholics in the Middle East expressing his concern over the situation.

In this letter, the sovereign pontiff expresses his anger at the actors involved in the region and points out the “shameful inability” of the great powers to obtain a ceasefire in the Middle East.

“A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit. It has not been extinguished, but has flared up 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 put an end to the tragedy of war.”

Without naming any country, the Pope is nevertheless quite clear; are targeted beyond actors leading the fights: 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 flows, tears too, anger increases, as does 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 defeat, that weapons do not build the future but destroy it, that violence never brings peace. History demonstrates this, and yet years and years of conflict seem to have taught us nothing,” the Pope writes in this message.