Pope calls for truce in Gaza Strip, speaks on family

(December 29, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday decried the “endless” bloodshed in the Holy Land and urged all sides to end violence as Israel continued its deadly assault on Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Speaking to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square after the midday “Angelus’ prayer, the Pope expressed he feels deep sorrow for “the dead, wounded, property damage, suffering and tears of the populations who are victims of this tragic succession of attacks and retaliation.” The pontiff condemned the attacks and renewed his Christmas Day appeal that negotiations replace “the perverse logic of clashes and violence.” Israeli warplanes dropped bombs and missiles on dozens of targets across the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in continuing attacks that have killed some 280 Palestinians in the first 24 hours of the campaign against Gaza rocket squads. “The homeland of Jesus cannot continue to be witness to so much bloodshed, which repeats itself endlessly,” the Holy Father said from his studio window overlooking the square. “I implore an end to that violence, which must be condemned in all its manifestations, and the restoration of the truce in the Gaza Strip,” the pontiff said. He also called for a show of “humanity and wisdom in all those who wield responsibility in the situation” and called on the international community “not to leave anything untried to help the Israelis and Palestinians exit from this dead end” of violence.
Before praying the ‘Angelus’, Pope Benedict reflected on the Holy Family of Nazareth as a model for every family. Speaking of the human values that the Holy Family proposes, the Pope mentioned conjugal love, collaboration, sacrifice, trust in Divine Providence, industriousness, solidarity and everything that the family nurtures and promotes to create the fabric of every society. At the same time, he said, the Holy Family is very unlike other families when it comes to its divine vocation linked to the mission of the Son of God. In this perspective the Holy Family reminded every family, especially the Christian family of its heavenly dimension - of God to whom we are all destined. Pope Benedict reminded all of the upcoming 6^th World Meeting of the Families scheduled from Jan. 14 to 18 in Mexico City. He urged for prayers for this important Church event, but especially for families greatly tried by life’s difficulties and the wounds of misunderstanding and division that afflict them.