Dear Editor,
On October 11, during his weekly general audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis said, “Often a wounded person wounds in turn; the oppressed easily becomes an oppressor.”
He said that having compassion means “suffering with the victims of the many forms of inhumanity present in the world, as well as pitying those who commit errors and injustices - not justifying them but humanizing them.”
Pope Francis ended the audience by condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and asked that the militants free the hostages unharmed. He also expressed concern about the impact of Israel’s siege of Gaza on innocent civilians.
For the Catholic Church in the United States, October is recognized as Respect for Life Month - a time dedicated to focusing on the protection of human life.
Many Americans, as a result of the Hamas October 7 attack on Israel wherein more than 1300 Israelis were killed and some 200 people including children and elderly persons are being held hostage, share a common angst and want to find something to do that will assuage our anxiety.
Many of us wonder, given the ferocity of violence already perpetrated, can further conflict lead to a real resolution or only to more death and suffering. In the absence of an answer to that rhetorical question, perhaps we can realize some satisfaction by focusing on the hope of resolution.
Perhaps we might follow the lead of Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmeyer of the Archdiocese of Atlanta who, in a statement issued October 12 in response to the violence and escalating tensions in the Holy Land, implores all people of goodwill to pray for peace. He commends to us the Saint Francis of Assisi prayer, which begins, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love....”
Peter Wibell, Rutledge