(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 10.06.2025).- Under a bright autumn sun in St. Peter’s Square, the voices of thousands of migrants and missionaries blended in hymns of hope. Yet as the Jubilee Mass concluded on October 5, Pope Leo XIV broke the solemn rhythm of celebration with a message that cut through the music.
Speaking before the recitation of the Angelus, the Pope lamented the recent wave of antisemitic violence, which has resurfaced in various corners of the world. His words came just days after an attack outside a Manchester synagogue left two people dead. “The rise of antisemitism wounds humanity itself,” he said, calling on the faithful to resist all forms of hatred that distort the human heart and fracture communities.
The Pope’s concern was not limited to Europe. He turned his gaze toward the Middle East, evoking once again the anguish of Gaza. “My heart remains heavy for the immense suffering of the Palestinian people,” he said. Referring to the new round of negotiations underway in Cairo, launched under the mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump, Leo XIV urged those at the table to act with courage and sincerity. “May these efforts finally bear fruit,” he added, “through an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”
His appeal echoed the hope expressed a day earlier by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who described the latest developments as “a fragile but real opening toward reconciliation,” including the possibility of freeing both Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees.
For the Pope, whose pontificate has been marked by a steady insistence on dialogue and shared responsibility, the convergence of antisemitic violence in Europe and continued war in the Holy Land represents more than geopolitical tension—it is a moral test for the world. “We must not grow accustomed to hatred,” he told the crowd, urging Catholics to persist in prayer and action for peace “that is not imposed by power, but born of justice.”
Leo XIV concluded his address by linking the moment to a broader chain of intercession. He joined spiritually with the pilgrims gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, where the annual Supplica was being prayed that same day. Thanking children across the world who have promised to pray the Rosary for peace, he reminded them—and all present—that prayer is never a passive act, but a seed of transformation.
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