Some voices rise from Asia calling for a stop to the conflict between the Israeli army and Hamas. Pakistan Archbishop Benny Mario Travas calls for an end to “the loss of innocent lives”. The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze urges help “to achieve a fair solution”.
May 18, 2021
By Shafique Khokhar – Sumon Corraya
The Catholic Churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh have been praying for peace in Gaza and Israel, hit by death and destruction over the past few days. Like Pope Francis, they appeal to political leaders to stop the violence and follow the path of dialogue.
Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi, together with other Pakistani Christian communities, condemned the violent attacks on the people in Gaza and the State of Israel and the loss of innocent lives in the various brutal attacks.
Archbishop Travas stressed the need for peace and an end to the conflict between Palestinians and Israel’s security forces, offering his prayers for the victims and for the healing of those wounded in the conflict.
In a statement jointly signed yesterday by his vicar general, Father Edward Joseph, the Archbishop asked priests, men and women religious, and all the faithful to pray for an end to the conflict and for peace in Jerusalem.
Archbishop Travas also expressed hope that the United Nations and the international community will undertake every effort to bring peace and protect the lives and property of all peoples living in the region.
The archbishop’s appeal came as people took to the streets of Pakistan in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Samson Salamat, head of Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan, a movement for pluralism, appealed to Pope Francis and world’s top leaders to stop the bombing of Gaza and save many human lives “because Palestine is an issue that must be of concern to all humanity”.
In Bangladesh Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze of Dhaka also called for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking to AsiaNews, the prelate, said that “The conflict solves nothing”.
Archbishop Bejoy, who is president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh and heads the Episcopal Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, notes that “Hamas is a group of militiamen and this arouses fear in other people.”
“In this situation, dialogue between the two countries is more urgent than ever. If they fail to do so directly, it is urgent that organisations like the UN – or any country that can help achieve a fair solution – make its contribution.”
For the Archbishop of Dhaka, “Bombs, destruction and killings will never bring a peaceful solution; instead, they will make the problems even worse. For this reason, together with my priests, men and women religious, and all the faithful, we are praying that the nations of Israel and Palestine may soon be friends rather than enemies”.––Asia News
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