Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is asking the U.S. bishops to invite the faithful throughout the country to join in prayer on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.
In an open letter to the bishops published Oct. 2, Archbishop Broglio lamented the “horrific attack” by Hamas on Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023. He also expressed his sadness over the continued captivity of Israeli hostages, the deaths of the Gazan civilians killed in the ensuing war against Hamas, and the “dramatic rise” in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes throughout the U.S. and the world.
“The terrible loss of life in Israel and in Gaza, as well as the spike in crimes of hate here in the U.S. and elsewhere, is a source of great sorrow to us as Catholics,” Archbishop Broglio said.
He went on to say that “compassion is not a zero-sum game.”
“We hear the cries of lament of all our brothers and sisters — Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims and Christians — all of whom have been traumatized by these events. We join in mourning all whose lives have been cut short. We share the earnest desire for lasting peace,” he emphasized.
Archbishop Broglio also shared his dismay over the recent escalation of the conflict at the Israeli-Lebanese border. In recent weeks both Iran and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah have launched hundreds of missiles into Israel. In response, Israel has launched a series of missile barrages and attacks into Lebanon.
Calling to mind the invitation for the faithful to participate in a day of prayer and fasting Oct. 7 from the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Archbishop Broglio asked his brother bishops to extend the commemoration to the faithful throughout the United States.
“Our Catholic faith teaches us to hope even amidst the darkest of circumstances, for Christ is risen from the dead. Out of death God brings forth a new creation,” he said.
“As this anniversary approaches, in a time of anguish and trauma,” he went on, “let us seek ways to express our solidarity with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters. Let us also commit ourselves to combat all forms of hatred directed towards Jews and Muslims, and to work for a lasting peace in the land of the Lord Jesus’ birth.”
Archbishop Broglio asked that his letter be distributed to the clergy and lay faithful throughout the Catholic Church in the United States “to invite them to join the Christians of the Holy Land, together with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in fervent prayer for an end to the violence in the Holy Land, for the safe and prompt return of all hostages, and for the conversion of hearts so that hatred may be overcome, opening a pathway to reconciliation and peace.”
In the Arlington diocese, on behalf of Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Father Jamie R. Workman, diocesan vicar general, relayed to all diocesan priests Archbishop Broglio’s message and Cardinal Pizzaballa’s request for prayers.
“You are invited to join with Christians in the Holy Land, together with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in fervent prayer for an end to the violence in the Holy Land, for the safe and prompt return of all hostages, and for the conversion of hearts so that hatred may be overcome, opening a pathway to reconciliation and peace,” Father Workman wrote Oct. 4. “Please consider including a mention and intercession for this observance at Masses this weekend and on Monday.”
At Bishop Burbidge’s request, Father Michael D. Weston, diocesan director of divine worship, sent all diocesan priests suggested petitions for peace for use at daily and Sunday Masses at parishes over the next several days.
The Arlington Catholic Herald contributed to this story.
