Community Sant'Egidio organizes prayer vigil for Peace in Gaza

By Antonella Palermo

Hundreds gathered on Monday evening for the  Peace in Gaza, organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio and supported by dozens of Catholic organizations.

Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, the Archbishop emeritus of Perugia-Città della Piavè, and former President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, presided over the vigil included prayers for hostages, war victims, and children in Gaza, with testimonies from people on the ground, including a moving poem from a mother from Gaza.

Cardinal Bassetti: War can and must be stopped

“War is never a random tragedy,” he said. “It is chosen, willed. And it can—and must—be stopped.”

He said, “Every violation of human rights is the result of specific decisions. War is not fate—it’s a choice. And we must choose differently.”

Quoting the late Pope Francis and the philosopher Martin Buber, Cardinal Bassetti emphasized dialogue and human dignity, urging believers to never betray their shared humanity.

Cardinal Pizzaballa: Violence fuels vicious cycle

The evening also featured the voice of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, joined via videomessage from the Holy Land, in which he noted "we are heartbroken" and that "in 35 years, I’ve never seen a moment so dark."

Cardinal Pizzaballa observed that while "we’ve left space to extremists on both sides," "I still trust in the many gentle of heart, people who quietly work for justice and peace.”

With this sentiment, he called for truth and justice with love toward all, warning that violence only fuels more hatred in a vicious cycle.

Notably, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem underscored, “When the language of force fails, when this entire structure of violence collapses, we must be ready — to bring the strength of meekness so that all may inherit, in beauty and love, the land God has given us.”