Faithful urged to pray for peace in Israel

AMID the ongoing war in the Holy Land, the Archdiocese of Manila yesterday urged the faithful to heed the call for the observance of the day of fasting, prayer, and penance on Friday.

Based on Circular No. 2023-85, Manila Archdiocese Vice Chancellor Fr Carmelo Arada appealed to the faithful to pray for peace to be restored in the conflict areas in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

“We encourage our communities to organize prayer initiatives for this intention like the Mass for Peace, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament/Holy Hour, the praying of the holy rosary, or any other celebrations of the Word of God,” said Arada.

He said this is in response to the call of Pope Francis last week amid the escalating violence between Israelis and the Hamas militant group.

The Pontiff encouraged people of different Christian denominations, other religions, and all those who advocate for peace to participate in the event as they see fit.

The war broke out in Israel on October 7 after the militant group Hamas launched a coordinated offensive against the Israelis.

Thousands of individuals have already died in the ongoing conflict. – Gerard Naval