Pope Francis sends the papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to the Holy Land as a sign of his solidarity amid the tragedy of war, and invites everyone to pray for peace.
By Devin Watkins
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski has set out on a papal mission to accompany the people of the Holy Land through the celebration of Christmas.
The Dicastery for the Service of Charity announced the news in a communiqué released on Friday.
Sign of Pope’s solidarity
Cardinal Krajewski, the Dicastery’s Prefect, commonly called the Papal Almoner, has frequently visited places of conflict to express the Pope’s solidarity.
He has personally delivered truckloads of humanitarian aid to Ukraine several times since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
“Pope Francis, saddened by the ‘third world war fought piecemeal’ that afflicts the world, prays every day for peace, calling for an end to the conflicts that stain the earth: in martyred Ukraine, in Syria, in many countries in Africa, and now in Israel and Palestine,” read the statement.
The Pope has therefore decided to offer “a tangible sign of his participation in the suffering of those who personally experience the consequences of war” by sending Cardinal Krajewski to the Holy Land.
Cardinal Krajewski (file photo)
Christmas in war-torn Holy Land
The Polish-born Cardinal will spend Christmas with the local Church in the place of Jesus’ birth.
“Cardinal Krajewski will join this great invocation for peace together with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the entire local Church, to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the prince of peace and the only hope of our world,” said the communiqué.
Pope Francis, it added, invites everyone to accompany the Cardinal’s journey in prayer, “in order to obtain the gift of peace in areas where the thunder of weapons continues to roar.”
Courage to say ‘never again war’
The Dicastery for the Service of Charity recalled Pope Francis’ encounter with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Vatican Gardens on 8 June 2014.
The communiqué concluded with a prayer he offered on that occasion, saying it remains relevant today amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: ‘Never again war!’; ‘With war everything is lost’. Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace… May the words ‘divisio’, ‘hatred’ and ‘war’ be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be ‘brother’, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam!”
