Bishops of Poland Express Their Solidarity with Israel

Statement

Together with the entire Church in Poland, we express pain and deep solidarity with the nation of Israel, attacked in an inhuman and ruthless way by Hamas. We vehemently and unequivocally condemn both the terrorist attack itself and the unlawful detention of the hostages in Gaza. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost their lives, been injured, and their grieving families.

We also extend our prayers to all the victims, particularly civilians on the Palestinian side, including children and women. On Tuesday, October 17, in unison with His Holiness Pope Francis and all the participants of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, we engaged in not only prayer but also fasting to beseech peace for Israel and Palestine.

In unity with Israel, we affirm the enduring hope articulated by the prophet Isaiah many centuries ago: "Then the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard and the kid will lie down together, the calf and the lion will feed together (...). The cow and the she-bear will lie in friendship, and their young ones will lie down together…” (Isaiah 11:6-7). Like Israel, we firmly believe that this vision of peace, a divine gift transcending our human calculations and imaginations, is more than just a dream. We are convinced that, in the words of Pope Francis on October 8th of this year, "war is a failure; every war is a failure."

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki

Metropolitan of Poznań

Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference

Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś

Metropolitan of Łódź

Chairman of the Polish Episcopate Committee for Dialogue with Judaism

Rome, October 18, 2023

Unauthorized translation. For the original text in Polish click: HERE.

Photo: Pro-Israel demonstration in Poland (YouTube).