Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged parties across the Middle East to suspend their attacks and reopen diplomatic negotiations, warning that escalating military operations were endangering civilians and worsening shortages of drinking water and electricity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI continue to follow with deep concern the ongoing and escalating violence in the Holy Land, where, in recent days, many civilians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have once again fallen victim,\u201d the pope said July 26 after leading the Angelus from the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo.<\/p>\n
su declaraciones<\/a> followed one of the most tense days in the West Bank in recent months. A shooting in Tell, southwest of Nablus, reportedly killed at least four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers and was followed by attacks by Israeli settlers against several Palestinian communities.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently announced that military operations would be intensified in areas Israel considers centers of terrorism.<\/p>\n \u201cI make a heartfelt appeal for a return to negotiations to achieve a just political solution, founded on the equal dignity and equal rights of every human person,\u201d Pope Leo said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, I urge the rejection of further military actions and unilateral decisions, especially those that violate the respect for and the status quo of the holy places of every religion.\u201d<\/p>\n The pope also renewed his appeal concerning the wider Middle East, where he said intensified military operations had \u201cagain wreaked violence and destruction, endangering the lives of countless civilians and further aggravating the shortages of drinking water and electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the depths of my heart, I exhort all parties involved to suspend the attacks and urgently reopen paths of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the longed-for peace for the entire region may be achieved without delay,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Pope Leo invited the faithful to continue praying for people throughout the world who are suffering because of war.<\/p>\n \u201cMay the Lord touch the hearts and enlighten the minds of those in power, so that reconciliation and peace may soon prevail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The pope also expressed his closeness to people affected by devastating wildfires in France and Spain and called for prayers for both the victims and emergency workers involved in relief efforts.<\/p>\n The fires have forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes, while forecasts of temperatures reaching approximately 108 degrees Fahrenheit were expected to increase the danger in the affected areas.<\/p>\n Pope Leo recalled the July 25 beatification in Lebanon of Elias Hoayek, who served as Maronite patriarch of Antioch from 1899 to 1931 and founded the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family.<\/p>\n \u201cFor more than thirty years, he led the Maronite Church with great dedication and pastoral sensitivity,\u201d the pope said.<\/p>\n \u201cA man of dialogue and hope, he was an outstanding ecclesial, social and political leader, so much so that he came to be known as the \u2018Father of Greater Lebanon.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The pope prayed that the new blessed\u2019s intercession would accompany Maronite Catholics throughout the world and obtain peace for Lebanon, \u201ca country dear to my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Pope Leo also marked the sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, whose theme was drawn from the words of the prophet Isaiah: \u201cI will never forget you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTogether, let us give thanks to the Lord for the gift that the elderly are to the Church and society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us also commit ourselves to respecting and valuing the precious role they play, and to ensuring that they always receive the care, attention and assistance they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n During his Angelus reflection, Pope Leo focused on the Gospel\u2019s images of the kingdom of God as a hidden treasure and a pearl of great price.<\/p>\n \u201cThe parables convey the surprise of those who find something far beyond what they could have hoped for, so much so that selling or leaving everything behind no longer seems a sacrifice, but a gain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The pope said the evangelists present Christ\u2019s call to discipleship as irresistible.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a free choice, yet also urgent and capable of eliciting a ready and wholehearted response,\u201d he said. \u201cEncountering his Kingdom marks a turning point that does not limit life but enlarges it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf anything must change on our part, it is only so that our lives may be opened to greater possibilities, not fewer.\u201d<\/p>\n Pope Leo noted that the figures appearing in Christ\u2019s parables include peasants, merchants, travelers, fishermen, scribes, shepherds, farmers and women carrying out ordinary household tasks.<\/p>\n \u201cIn short, the Kingdom of God reveals its inestimable beauty in different ways, but calls everyone \u2014 men and women, young and old, rich and poor \u2014 to a profound renewal,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone is capable of understanding it and is drawn to it.\u201d<\/p>\n The pope said that the Church likewise brings together people with different backgrounds, cultures, abilities and responsibilities.<\/p>\n \u201cYet all are called to recognize themselves as \u2018one\u2019 in Jesus Christ: he is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net that gathers those who are scattered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the beginning, Jesus called and gathered around himself people who would otherwise never have come to know one another. In this way, he demonstrated that God has no favorites, but instead offers his love freely, especially to the little ones or those cast aside.\u201d<\/p>\n Pope Leo concluded by urging Catholics to ask for the wisdom sought by the young King Solomon: the ability to recognize what is truly valuable.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the consumer culture influences our tastes, constantly creating new needs only to sell us solutions that never satisfy, and that sometimes even poison the heart, we must learn to grasp what truly matters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That treasure, the pope continued, is \u201ca relationship with God that opens us to joy and helps us to live our relationships with one another more fully.\u201d<\/p>\n The July 26 Angelus was Pope Leo\u2019s final Sunday appearance during his summer stay at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo. He was scheduled to return to the Vatican on Monday, July 27.<\/p>\n The pope was expected to return to Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, July 29, to meet young choristers participating in the Andrea Bocelli Foundation\u2019s Voices of Global Gathering at the Borgo Laudato Si\u2019. Bocelli was scheduled to perform a musical work titled \u201cCantico di Pace.\u201d<\/p>\n Esta historia fue publicada originalmente<\/a> en dos partes<\/a> por ACI Prensa, el servicio hermano en espa\u00f1ol de EWTN News. Ha sido traducido y adaptado por EWTN News English.<\/em><\/p>\nPrayers for wildfire victims<\/h3>\n
Beatification of Elias Hoayek<\/h3>\n
World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly<\/h3>\n
The kingdom of God enlarges life<\/h3>\n