The Pope has spoken of his closeness to people suffering in the war between Israel and Gaza as he called for dialogue to restore peace in the region and condemned the international community for failing to halt the conflict.
Pope Francis feelings on the conflict were expressed in a letter to Catholics in the Holy Land on the first anniversary of the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, in which over 1,000 Israelis died and hundreds more were taken hostage.
He decried the "spiral of violence" that has engulfed the region since the attack and "the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war".
The Pope conveyed his closeness to those who "suffer the devastation which the powerful impose on others", and spoke with particular feeling towards the "small, defenceless flock" of believers who have remained in the Holy Land despite the devastation around them.
"I am thinking of you and praying for you," he wrote, adding that they were "experiencing a real martyrdom" as he asked them to sow "seeds of peace" and be "witnesses to the power of a non-violent peace".
Catholics around the world marked Monday's anniversary by joining in a day of prayer and fasting.
Using his letter to call for an end to the conflict, Francis said, "Anger is growing, along with the desire for revenge, while it seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired: dialogue and peace."
He continued, "War is a defeat. Weapons do not build the future but destroy it, violence never brings peace. History proves this, yet years and years of conflict seem to have taught us nothing."
