After an early morning attack on a synagogue left four Israelis dead and eight injured on Nov. 18, the Latin Patriarch, Fouad Twal, called for an end to all violence in the Holy Land. “We are praying and waiting. We are sad,” said Patriarch Twal. “We must, all people of responsibility, politicians and religious leaders, do our best in our positions to condemn this violence and avoid as much as possible the causes which lead other people to violence.… Violence leads to more violence.” Patriarch Twal said he sent condolences to the families of all the victims of the recent wave of violence that has rocked Jerusalem as Israel moves toward expanding Jewish settlements in the area and Palestinians fear a Jewish presence on the shared holy site of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in Jerusalem’s Old City.

This article appears in December 8-15 2014.