(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 27.03.2024).- On Wednesday morning, March 27, before leading the General Audience in Pope VI Hall, Pope Francis met briefly with Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin, the former Israeli the latter Palestinian, who lost their daughters.
Smadar, Rami Elhanan’s daughter, died in 2007, killed by an Israeli soldier’s bullet, as she left school.
The story of Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin, and their joint commitment for peace in justice through The Parents Circle association, was told in the Apeirogon novel of writer Colum McCann, present in Pope Francis’ audience with the artists on June 23, and awarded the Terzani Prize.
Towards the end of this Wednesday’s catechesis on the virtue of patience, the Holy Father said:
In this audience here today, there are two people, two fathers: one Israeli and the other Arab. Both have lost their daughters in this war and both are friends. They don’t concentrate on the war’s enmity, but on the friendship of two men who love each other and who have gone through the same crucifixion. Let’s think of this beautiful testimony of these two people that suffered in their daughters the war in the Holy Land. Dear brothers, thank you for your witness!”
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