People of faith must recognize and transcend historical patterns of violence

By Khosrow B. Semnani

In his Christmas message last year, Pope Francis spoke of how the eyes and hearts of Christians throughout the world turn during the holidays to Bethlehem, where “amid the deep shadows covering the land, an undying flame has been lighted.”

Lamenting the killing of innocents in war, Francis spoke of children whose lives have been devastated by war as “the little Jesuses of today.” He reminded the faithful that the birth of Christ changed the course of history, and that, even as a small child, Jesus, the “prince of peace,” gives us the “power to become children of God.”

Addressing the Israel-Hamas war, the pope spoke of how his “heart grieves for the victims of the abominable attack of 7 October” and reiterated his “urgent appeal for the liberation of those still being held hostage.” He also pleaded for an end to the military operations “with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims” and called “for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening to the provision of humanitarian aid.”

Pope Francis is not alone in praying for peace and healing for the children of Israel and Palestine. All of Utah’s faith communities are acutely aware of the depth of the sorrow and suffering visited upon families in both Israel and Gaza, and recognize the imperative of finding a peaceful resolution to conflicts that have turned the Holy Land into the very tomb of peace itself. 

By now, humanity as a whole, particularly in the Middle East, has suffered through enough tragedy and war to heed the pope’s warnings. Rather than seeing one tribe’s existence premised on the extinction of the other, we must recognize and transcend these historical patterns. We cannot look at each other’s children, families and faiths through the carnage visited upon Israel and Gaza. To honor the dead we must guard the sanctity of the living.

In Utah, we are blessed to have a congressional delegation that listens and cares deeply about the pain and anguish inflicted on our brothers and sisters in Israel and Gaza.

https://www.deseret.com/2024/2/3/24054465/israel-hamas-war-palestine-peace-pope-francis-holy-land