Representatives from Justice & Peace Scotland and the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh's Caritas, Justice & Peace Commission were delighted to attend an audience and Q&A with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in Edinburgh yesterday.

The Cardinal gave a heartfelt and poignant account of the conflict and of the struggles, fears and grief experienced by both Palestinians and Israelis since October 2023.

In perhaps his most saddening remarks, he told the audience how the Hamas attack on October 7th has felt like another Holocaust for Israelis and simultaneously, the retaliation since by Israel has felt like another Nakba for Palestinians, and that subsequently peace feels very far away.

In a moment of optimism though, he told of how the Christian Church there has an invaluable role to play as mediators and peacemakers.

When reflecting on Cardinal Pizzaballa's visit, we call the words of Fr Gabriel Romanelli who visited us earlier this year, too:

"Pray in whatever way you can, work for peace in whatever way you can." 🕊️