Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Gerard O’ConnellMay 09, 2021
An Israeli police officer stands guard at the Damascus Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem after clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Friday, May 7, 2021. Palestinian worshippers clashed with Israeli police late Friday at the holy site sacred to Muslims and Jews, in an escalation of weeks of violence in Jerusalem that has reverberated across the region. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)An Israeli police officer stands guard at the Damascus Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem after clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Friday, May 7, 2021. Palestinian worshippers clashed with Israeli police late Friday at the holy site sacred to Muslims and Jews, in an escalation of weeks of violence in Jerusalem that has reverberated across the region. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

On Sunday, Pope Francis expressed “particular concern” at the clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem and appealed for an end to the violence. He invited all parties to “seek shared solutions so that the multi-religious and multicultural identity of the Holy See is respected” and people can co-exist in Jerusalem in fraternity.

He expressed his concern publicly when, speaking from the study window of the papal apartment, he greeted pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on a warm and sunny Sunday, May 9.

Tensions have been rising over the threatened eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem’s Shaikh Jarrah district, the BBC reported. It recalled that Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since the 1967 Middle East Six Day War and considers the entire city its capital, though this is not recognized by the vast majority of the international community, including the Holy See.

Pope Francis expressed “particular concern” at the clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem and appealed for an end to the violence

The BBC reports that the United Nations has said Israel should suspend any evictions and employ “maximum restraint in the use of force” against protestors. Moreover, it added that the League of Arab states has called on the international community to prevent any forced evictions.

Israel’s Supreme Court is expected to hold a hearing on the long-running legal case on May 10, according to the BBC.

On Monday, Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets into Israel, including a barrage that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem, after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at a flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city.

The rocket fire drew heavy Israeli retaliation in the Gaza Strip. Health officials said at least 20 people, including nine children, were killed in fighting, making it one of the bloodiest days of battle between the bitter enemies in several years.

Pope Francis: “I pray that Jerusalem may be a place of encounter and not of violent clashes, a place of prayer and of peace.”

The fighting escalated already heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem. Those confrontations, focused around a disputed hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, have threatened to spark a wider conflict.

Pope Francis, who as a young Jesuit was in Jerusalem in June 1967 during the Six Day War and returned there again when he visited the Holy Land in May 2014, told pilgrims on Sunday, “I am following with particular concern the events that are happening in Jerusalem.”

“I pray that it may be a place of encounter and not of violent clashes, a place of prayer and of peace,” he said. “I invite everyone to seek shared solutions so that the multi-religious and multi-cultural identity of the Holy City is respected and that fraternity may prevail.”

Pope Francis was referring to the fact that Jerusalem is a city that is sacred or holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike and the importance of allowing the followers of each faith to worship there freely and in peace, an aspect that he and the Holy See have frequently underlined. He concluded his message by saying, “Violence only generates violence. Stop [the clashes!]”

“I invite everyone to seek shared solutions so that the multi-religious and multi-cultural identity of the Holy City is respected and that fraternity may prevail.”

The BBC reported that the previous on May 8 clashes broke out at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem after tens of thousands of Palestinian worshippers had prayed at the Al -Aqsa mosque for Laylat-al-Qadr, the most holy night in the Muslim month of Ramadan. CNN reported that more than 100 Palestinians were injured in the second night of clashes between Palestinian protestors and the Israeli police.

Protestors hurled stones at the police. According to the Red Crescent Society, protestors were hit with rubber bullets and stun grenades—some were hit in the head or hand—and 14 were taken to hospital.

CNN reported that 205 Palestinians had been injured in clashes on May 7 with the Israeli police in riot gear after evening prayer. It said another 22 were injured on May 5.

According to CNN, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, said, “The U.S. is extremely concerned about ongoing confrontations” and called upon Israeli and Palestinian officials “to deescalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence,” to exercise restraint and refrain from provocations to preserve “the historic status quo on the Haram-al-Sharif/Temple Mount, both in work and in practice.”

The BBC reported that the Quartet of Middle East negotiators—the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations—expressed “deep concern” on May 8 over the spiraling violence in Jerusalem.

The pope also prayed for the victims of yesterday’s “inhuman” terrorist attack in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, which killed some 50 schoolchildren, mostly girls, as they were leaving their secondary school building. He invited everyone to pray for the young victims and their families and for peace in Afghanistan.

He also expressed his concern for “the tensions and violent clashes” in Colombia that have caused deaths and injuries. He noted that there were many Colombians, bearing the country’s flag, in St. Peter’s Square and invited everyone to join them in praying for peace in their homeland.

This report has been updated with material from the Associated Press.

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

Jesuit Father Andriy Zelinskyy, coordinator of military chaplains for the Ukrainian Catholic Church, is pictured in a 2018 photo.
When reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord while living in a state of military invasion and active war, “everything becomes more authentic,” and “God ceases to be just a concept,” says Andriy Zelinskyy, S.J. “He really becomes a source of life and all hope for you and for
PreachMarch 17, 2024
One study showed Catholics donated the least amount of money of all denominations surveyed.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 15, 2024
Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera and Teresa Morris Kettlekamp will lead the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Gerard O’ConnellMarch 15, 2024
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that exemptions that allow religious organizations to avoid paying Wisconsin’s unemployment tax don’t apply to a Catholic charitable organization.