Latest news with #PalestinianChristian
GMA Network
7 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Israeli strikes kill 22 in Gaza; 2 die in church Pope Francis often spoke to
A wounded Palestinian Christian woman is brought into at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital following an Israeli strike on The Church of the Holy Family, in Gaza City July 17, 2025. REUTERS/ Dawoud Abu Alkas CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Israeli forces killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly, medics and church officials said. Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in airstrikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha. A US official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza. A man and a woman died, and several people were wounded in "an apparent strike by the Israeli army" on Gaza's Holy Family Church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. "We pray that their souls rest [in peace] and for an end to this barbaric war. Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians," said the Patriarchate, which oversees the church. Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken. Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. Pope Leo was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the Vatican said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident. "The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them," it said. Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave. Palestinian medics said one airstrike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and that another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks. Three people were killed in an airstrike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said. Ceasefire talks Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed US 60-day truce. As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear. A Hamas source with knowledge of the matter said Israel had presented new maps to the mediators, pledging to pull the army further back than had previously been offered. The source said this partially met Hamas' demands, but was still insufficient. Disputes also remain over aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and guarantees that any eventual truce would lead to ending the war, said the two other Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters. Israel has told the mediators it is willing to drop its demand to maintain a military presence along the so-called Morag Corridor in southern Gaza during a ceasefire and is prepared to show flexibility regarding the size of the security buffer it would retain near the Israeli border, Israeli media reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment on the reports. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance." Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies. — Reuters
Hamilton Spectator
03-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
An interfaith group's 1950s MLK comic book remains a prominent nonviolence teaching tool
(RNS) — At cross-cultural gatherings in Bethlehem, West Bank, groups of children and adults turn to a 67-year-old, colorful comic book with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s image on its cover, his tie and shirt collar visible beneath his clerical robe. As they read from 'Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story,' the group leader is prepared to discuss questions about achieving peace through nonviolent behavior. 'What are the teachings we have from Martin Luther King?' asks Zoughbi Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who is the international president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and founder of Wi'am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. 'How can we benefit from it, and how do we deal with issues like that in the Palestinian area under the Israeli occupation? How to send a message of love, agape with assertiveness, not aggressive?' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Zoughbi told RNS in a phone interview that the comic book, published in 1958, remains a staple in his work, which includes both English and Arabic versions. (It is available in six languages.) Over the decades, it was used in Arabic in the anti-government Arab Spring uprisings, in English in anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and in Spanish in Latin American ecclesial base communities, or small Catholic groups that meet for social justice activities and Bible study. It continues to be a teaching tool and an influential historical account in the United States as well. The book was distributed in January at New York's Riverside Church and has been listed as a curriculum resource for Muslim schools. And it remains a popular item, available online and in print for $2, at the bookstore at Atlanta's Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Store director Patricia Sampson called it 'one of our best sellers.' The 16-page book was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian-turned-interfaith anti-war organization. It was written by Alfred Hassler, then FOR-USA's executive secretary, in collaboration with the comic industry's Benton Resnik. A gift of $5,000 from the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Republic, a nonprofit advocating for free speech and religious liberty, helped support it. 'We are a pacifist organization, and we believe deeply in the transformative power of nonviolence,' said Ariel Gold, executive director of FOR-USA, based in Stony Point, New York. 'And where this comic really fits into that is that we know that nonviolence is more than a catchphrase, and it's really something that comes out of a deep philosophy of love and an intensive strategy for political change.' The comic book bears out that philosophy, in part by telling the story of King's time in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association as Black riders of the city's buses strove to no longer have to move to let white people sit down. Their nonviolent actions, catalyzed by Rosa Parks' refusing to give up her seat in 1955, eventually led to a Supreme Court decision that segregated public busing was unconstitutional. The comic book ends with a breakdown of 'how the Montgomery method works,' with tips for how to foster nonviolence that include 'decide what special thing you are going to work on' and 'see your enemy as a human being … a child of God.' Ahead of publishing, Hassler received 'adulation and a few corrections' from King, to whom he sent a draft, said Andrew Aydin, who wrote his master's thesis on the comic book and titled it 'The Comic Book that Changed the World.' The name of the comic book's artist, long unknown, was revealed in 2018 to be Sy Barry, known for his artwork in 'The Phantom' comic strip, by the blog . In an edition of FOR's Fellowship magazine, King wrote in a letter about his appreciation for the comic book: 'You have done a marvelous job of grasping the underlying truth and philosophy of the movement.' The book quickly gained traction. The Jan. 1, 1958, edition of Fellowship noted the organization had received advance orders for 75,000 copies from local FOR groups, the National Council of Churches and the NAACP. An ad on its back page noted single copies cost 10 cents, and 5,000 could be ordered for $250. By 2018, the magazine said some 250,000 copies had been distributed, 'especially throughout the Deep South.' The comic book has led to other series in the same genre that also seek to highlight civil rights efforts, using vivid images that synopsize historical accounts of the 1960s. 'March,' a popular graphic novel trilogy (2013-2016), was created by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, along with Aydin, his then-congressional staffer, and artist Nate Powell, about Lewis' work in the Civil Rights Movement. A follow-up volume, 'Run,' was published in 2021. 'It was part of learning the way of peace, the way of love, of nonviolence. Reading the Martin Luther King story, that little comic book, set me on the path that I'm on today,' said Lewis, quoted in the online curriculum guide on FOR's website. More recently, a new grant-funded webcomic series, 'Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,' was inspired by both the King comic book and 'March,' said creator Matthew Cressler. Described as a 'series about antiracism and struggles for justice across American Catholic history,' it chronicles the stories of Sister Angelica Schultz, a white Catholic nun who sought to improve housing access for African American residents in Chicago, and retired judge Arthur McFarland, who as a teenager worked to desegregate his Catholic high school in Charleston, South Carolina, and later encouraged the hiring of Black staff at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Cressler said the King comic book's continued distribution and use in diverse educational settings 'make it one of the most significant comics in the history of comics — which is something that might seem wild to say, given how when most people think about comic books, they think of superheroes like Superman or Batman.' Though different in topic and artistic style, Cressler said, the MLK comic book can be compared to 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman and 'On Tyranny' by Timothy Snyder — more recent graphic novels about a Jewish Holocaust survivor and threats to democracy, respectively — 'as a medium through which to teach, to educate and specifically to politically mobilize.' Anthony Nicotera, director of advancement for FOR-USA and an assistant professor at Seton Hall University, a Catholic school in South Orange, New Jersey, uses the King comic book in his peace and justice studies classes. 'People are using it in small ways or local ways or maybe even in larger ways,' he said, 'and we don't find out until after it's happened.' Gold, a progressive Jew who is the first non-Christian to lead FOR-USA, said future versions are planned beyond the six current languages to further share the message of King, the boycott and nonviolence. She said this year, her organization is aiming to translate it into French and Hebrew, for use in joint Israeli-Palestinian studies and trainings on nonviolence, as well as for Jewish religious schools. 'Especially in this political moment, I think we really need sources of hope, and we need reminders of the work and the strategy and the sacrifice that is required to successfully meet such an intense moment as this,' she said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
02-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
An interfaith group's 1950s MLK comic book remains a prominent nonviolence teaching tool
(RNS) — At cross-cultural gatherings in Bethlehem, West Bank, groups of children and adults turn to a 67-year-old, colorful comic book with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s image on its cover, his tie and shirt collar visible beneath his clerical robe. As they read from 'Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story,' the group leader is prepared to discuss questions about achieving peace through nonviolent behavior. 'What are the teachings we have from Martin Luther King?' asks Zoughbi Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who is the international president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and founder of Wi'am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. 'How can we benefit from it, and how do we deal with issues like that in the Palestinian area under the Israeli occupation? How to send a message of love, agape with assertiveness, not aggressive?' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Zoughbi told RNS in a phone interview that the comic book, published in 1958, remains a staple in his work, which includes both English and Arabic versions. (It is available in six languages.) Over the decades, it was used in Arabic in the anti-government Arab Spring uprisings, in English in anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and in Spanish in Latin American ecclesial base communities, or small Catholic groups that meet for social justice activities and Bible study. It continues to be a teaching tool and an influential historical account in the United States as well. The book was distributed in January at New York's Riverside Church and has been listed as a curriculum resource for Muslim schools. And it remains a popular item, available online and in print for $2, at the bookstore at Atlanta's Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Store director Patricia Sampson called it 'one of our best sellers.' The 16-page book was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian-turned-interfaith anti-war organization. It was written by Alfred Hassler, then FOR-USA's executive secretary, in collaboration with the comic industry's Benton Resnik. A gift of $5,000 from the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Republic, a nonprofit advocating for free speech and religious liberty, helped support it. 'We are a pacifist organization, and we believe deeply in the transformative power of nonviolence,' said Ariel Gold, executive director of FOR-USA, based in Stony Point, New York. 'And where this comic really fits into that is that we know that nonviolence is more than a catchphrase, and it's really something that comes out of a deep philosophy of love and an intensive strategy for political change.' The comic book bears out that philosophy, in part by telling the story of King's time in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association as Black riders of the city's buses strove to no longer have to move to let white people sit down. Their nonviolent actions, catalyzed by Rosa Parks' refusing to give up her seat in 1955, eventually led to a Supreme Court decision that segregated public busing was unconstitutional. The comic book ends with a breakdown of 'how the Montgomery method works,' with tips for how to foster nonviolence that include 'decide what special thing you are going to work on' and 'see your enemy as a human being … a child of God.' Ahead of publishing, Hassler received 'adulation and a few corrections' from King, to whom he sent a draft, said Andrew Aydin, who wrote his master's thesis on the comic book and titled it 'The Comic Book that Changed the World.' The name of the comic book's artist, long unknown, was revealed in 2018 to be Sy Barry, known for his artwork in 'The Phantom' comic strip, by the blog In an edition of FOR's Fellowship magazine, King wrote in a letter about his appreciation for the comic book: 'You have done a marvelous job of grasping the underlying truth and philosophy of the movement.' The book quickly gained traction. The Jan. 1, 1958, edition of Fellowship noted the organization had received advance orders for 75,000 copies from local FOR groups, the National Council of Churches and the NAACP. An ad on its back page noted single copies cost 10 cents, and 5,000 could be ordered for $250. By 2018, the magazine said some 250,000 copies had been distributed, 'especially throughout the Deep South.' The comic book has led to other series in the same genre that also seek to highlight civil rights efforts, using vivid images that synopsize historical accounts of the 1960s. 'March,' a popular graphic novel trilogy (2013-2016), was created by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, along with Aydin, his then-congressional staffer, and artist Nate Powell, about Lewis' work in the Civil Rights Movement. A follow-up volume, 'Run,' was published in 2021. 'It was part of learning the way of peace, the way of love, of nonviolence. Reading the Martin Luther King story, that little comic book, set me on the path that I'm on today,' said Lewis, quoted in the online curriculum guide on FOR's website. More recently, a new grant-funded webcomic series, 'Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,' was inspired by both the King comic book and 'March,' said creator Matthew Cressler. Described as a 'series about antiracism and struggles for justice across American Catholic history,' it chronicles the stories of Sister Angelica Schultz, a white Catholic nun who sought to improve housing access for African American residents in Chicago, and retired judge Arthur McFarland, who as a teenager worked to desegregate his Catholic high school in Charleston, South Carolina, and later encouraged the hiring of Black staff at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Cressler said the King comic book's continued distribution and use in diverse educational settings 'make it one of the most significant comics in the history of comics — which is something that might seem wild to say, given how when most people think about comic books, they think of superheroes like Superman or Batman.' Though different in topic and artistic style, Cressler said, the MLK comic book can be compared to 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman and 'On Tyranny' by Timothy Snyder — more recent graphic novels about a Jewish Holocaust survivor and threats to democracy, respectively — 'as a medium through which to teach, to educate and specifically to politically mobilize.' Anthony Nicotera, director of advancement for FOR-USA and an assistant professor at Seton Hall University, a Catholic school in South Orange, New Jersey, uses the King comic book in his peace and justice studies classes. 'People are using it in small ways or local ways or maybe even in larger ways,' he said, 'and we don't find out until after it's happened.' Gold, a progressive Jew who is the first non-Christian to lead FOR-USA, said future versions are planned beyond the six current languages to further share the message of King, the boycott and nonviolence. She said this year, her organization is aiming to translate it into French and Hebrew, for use in joint Israeli-Palestinian studies and trainings on nonviolence, as well as for Jewish religious schools. 'Especially in this political moment, I think we really need sources of hope, and we need reminders of the work and the strategy and the sacrifice that is required to successfully meet such an intense moment as this,' she said.
Winnipeg Free Press
02-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
An interfaith group's 1950s MLK comic book remains a prominent nonviolence teaching tool
(RNS) — At cross-cultural gatherings in Bethlehem, West Bank, groups of children and adults turn to a 67-year-old, colorful comic book with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s image on its cover, his tie and shirt collar visible beneath his clerical robe. As they read from 'Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story,' the group leader is prepared to discuss questions about achieving peace through nonviolent behavior. 'What are the teachings we have from Martin Luther King?' asks Zoughbi Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who is the international president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and founder of Wi'am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. 'How can we benefit from it, and how do we deal with issues like that in the Palestinian area under the Israeli occupation? How to send a message of love, agape with assertiveness, not aggressive?' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Zoughbi told RNS in a phone interview that the comic book, published in 1958, remains a staple in his work, which includes both English and Arabic versions. (It is available in six languages.) Over the decades, it was used in Arabic in the anti-government Arab Spring uprisings, in English in anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and in Spanish in Latin American ecclesial base communities, or small Catholic groups that meet for social justice activities and Bible study. It continues to be a teaching tool and an influential historical account in the United States as well. The book was distributed in January at New York's Riverside Church and has been listed as a curriculum resource for Muslim schools. And it remains a popular item, available online and in print for $2, at the bookstore at Atlanta's Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Store director Patricia Sampson called it 'one of our best sellers.' The 16-page book was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian-turned-interfaith anti-war organization. It was written by Alfred Hassler, then FOR-USA's executive secretary, in collaboration with the comic industry's Benton Resnik. A gift of $5,000 from the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Republic, a nonprofit advocating for free speech and religious liberty, helped support it. 'We are a pacifist organization, and we believe deeply in the transformative power of nonviolence,' said Ariel Gold, executive director of FOR-USA, based in Stony Point, New York. 'And where this comic really fits into that is that we know that nonviolence is more than a catchphrase, and it's really something that comes out of a deep philosophy of love and an intensive strategy for political change.' The comic book bears out that philosophy, in part by telling the story of King's time in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association as Black riders of the city's buses strove to no longer have to move to let white people sit down. Their nonviolent actions, catalyzed by Rosa Parks' refusing to give up her seat in 1955, eventually led to a Supreme Court decision that segregated public busing was unconstitutional. The comic book ends with a breakdown of 'how the Montgomery method works,' with tips for how to foster nonviolence that include 'decide what special thing you are going to work on' and 'see your enemy as a human being … a child of God.' Ahead of publishing, Hassler received 'adulation and a few corrections' from King, to whom he sent a draft, said Andrew Aydin, who wrote his master's thesis on the comic book and titled it 'The Comic Book that Changed the World.' The name of the comic book's artist, long unknown, was revealed in 2018 to be Sy Barry, known for his artwork in 'The Phantom' comic strip, by the blog In an edition of FOR's Fellowship magazine, King wrote in a letter about his appreciation for the comic book: 'You have done a marvelous job of grasping the underlying truth and philosophy of the movement.' The book quickly gained traction. The Jan. 1, 1958, edition of Fellowship noted the organization had received advance orders for 75,000 copies from local FOR groups, the National Council of Churches and the NAACP. An ad on its back page noted single copies cost 10 cents, and 5,000 could be ordered for $250. By 2018, the magazine said some 250,000 copies had been distributed, 'especially throughout the Deep South.' The comic book has led to other series in the same genre that also seek to highlight civil rights efforts, using vivid images that synopsize historical accounts of the 1960s. 'March,' a popular graphic novel trilogy (2013-2016), was created by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, along with Aydin, his then-congressional staffer, and artist Nate Powell, about Lewis' work in the Civil Rights Movement. A follow-up volume, 'Run,' was published in 2021. 'It was part of learning the way of peace, the way of love, of nonviolence. Reading the Martin Luther King story, that little comic book, set me on the path that I'm on today,' said Lewis, quoted in the online curriculum guide on FOR's website. More recently, a new grant-funded webcomic series, 'Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,' was inspired by both the King comic book and 'March,' said creator Matthew Cressler. Described as a 'series about antiracism and struggles for justice across American Catholic history,' it chronicles the stories of Sister Angelica Schultz, a white Catholic nun who sought to improve housing access for African American residents in Chicago, and retired judge Arthur McFarland, who as a teenager worked to desegregate his Catholic high school in Charleston, South Carolina, and later encouraged the hiring of Black staff at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Cressler said the King comic book's continued distribution and use in diverse educational settings 'make it one of the most significant comics in the history of comics — which is something that might seem wild to say, given how when most people think about comic books, they think of superheroes like Superman or Batman.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Though different in topic and artistic style, Cressler said, the MLK comic book can be compared to 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman and 'On Tyranny' by Timothy Snyder — more recent graphic novels about a Jewish Holocaust survivor and threats to democracy, respectively — 'as a medium through which to teach, to educate and specifically to politically mobilize.' Anthony Nicotera, director of advancement for FOR-USA and an assistant professor at Seton Hall University, a Catholic school in South Orange, New Jersey, uses the King comic book in his peace and justice studies classes. 'People are using it in small ways or local ways or maybe even in larger ways,' he said, 'and we don't find out until after it's happened.' Gold, a progressive Jew who is the first non-Christian to lead FOR-USA, said future versions are planned beyond the six current languages to further share the message of King, the boycott and nonviolence. She said this year, her organization is aiming to translate it into French and Hebrew, for use in joint Israeli-Palestinian studies and trainings on nonviolence, as well as for Jewish religious schools. 'Especially in this political moment, I think we really need sources of hope, and we need reminders of the work and the strategy and the sacrifice that is required to successfully meet such an intense moment as this,' she said.
Boston Globe
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
What Pope Francis knew
I have several stories from the past couple of years when I have been blessed enough to meet with Pope Francis, but one in particular stands out, when, late last summer, he invited a small delegation to the Vatican to discuss issues of storytelling and peace in the Middle East. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Refugees and migrants rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms in the Mediterranean Sea in 2020. Sergi Camara/Associated Press Advertisement Our delegation of five met near the papal apartments in the Cortile del Belvedere in the Vatican. We walked over cobblestones damp from an early rain. We were greeted in the entryway and guided toward the elevators. It was a pristine building, well kept, high-ceilinged. As we turned a corner, we were surprised to see a large artwork on the wall. Six-and-a-half feet high, it was in the shape of a crucifix. It took a moment to realize that the giant cross was made of transparent resin and that the 'body' of the cross was not a body at all but an orange life jacket. Advertisement The artwork hung in the entryway to the pope's personal quarters, a startling symbol of the world's refugees. A life jacket, most likely belonging to an African refugee rescued, or maybe drowned, at sea, in the place of, or in tandem with, Christ on the cross. The artwork the author saw in the Vatican last summer. Colum McCann We knew then that we were there to meet a person who held the stories of others. Among our delegation were a Palestinian Christian, a Palestinian Muslim, and an Israeli Jew. We remained in the waiting room a considerable time while other parties came and went from behind the door. Time held itself. Toward late morning, we were the last delegation. Pope Francis stood from his chair to shake hands. He was 'deeply moved' to meet our Palestinian and Israeli delegates, he said. They were an important part of the peace movement, not just in the Middle East but around the globe. Then he sat to listen. What was most extraordinary about him was how the words seemed to enter him. Viscerally. Tranquilly. His was a gentle presence, but candescent too. He seemed to be accepting the words as gifts. A pang of pain went across the hood of his eyes as his visitors talked of occupation, genocide, apartheid. The dark abysses of the human condition that he himself had often spoken about. He wanted to hear these words in order to know what he could properly say to the rest of the world. It struck me that I had never seen words being accepted in the same way. The brutal realities. The common thread of pain. The anguish of the unsaid. The ignorance. The disinformation. He wanted to hear all this in order to know what he might say, at another time, to other people around the world. When he finally did speak, he did so quietly, with care, compassion, and startling humility. For common phrases — 'Thank you for coming,' 'I am very moved by your stories' — he used English, but for that which he truly wanted to say, he spoke to a Spanish interpreter. Advertisement 'You remind us that we still have light, even in the darkest moments.' 'The peacemakers must embrace one another first.' 'You have the ability to bring change into history.' There was humor too. When it was suggested that he might make a good candidate for the presidency of the United States, he quietly smiled and said, 'I am not quite sure that it would be a benediction.' To be in such a presence was a great gift, not just for the quality of the moment itself but for what it suggested for what might come after — the struggle for any sort of peaceful engagement in a shattered world. I was reminded of a line from Arabic poetry: 'Is there any hope that this desolation might bring us solace?' As we left, we passed the artwork again. It had become more crucifix than sculpture. The life jacket was, of course, representative of whoever had once worn it, but it also represented the lives that the Palestinian and Israeli delegation's families had lost, or the current realm of terror and global indifference. Pope Francis kissed the foot of a man at the Castelnuovo di Porto refugee center outside Rome in 2016. The pontiff washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu, and Catholic refugees, declaring them children of the same God. l'Osservatore Romano In the corner of the vaulted ceiling above where the crucifix hung, there was a small crack in the plasterwork. The paint was swollen and bubbling. This, in itself, was incredible in such a building: One did not expect there to be a blemish. Not only that, but the crack in the wall had allowed water to seep in. Advertisement It appeared to us, as we left the building, that the outside was seeking the inside and that the rainwater was looking for the life jacket. It was like the line from the Leonard Cohen song 'Anthem': There's a crack, a crack in everything / that's how the light gets in . It turned out that the crucifix was controversial to some who were critical of Pope Francis. Some right-wing critics said that he was 'deifying the poor and the marginalized.' But that was not something Pope Francis would have responded to. He had blessed the crucifix in 2019. He had embraced the wider meaning. He knew.
