Salt + Light Media Menu
Salt + Light Media Home
Magnifying Glass

Pope Francis’ Address to the President of Israel

Salt + Light Media

Monday, May 26, 2014

Pope to Peres
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis
Visit to the President of Israel
Jerusalem, 26 May 2014
Mr President,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am grateful to you, Mr President, for your kind greeting and your words of welcome.  I am happy to be able to meet you once again, this time in Jerusalem, the city which preserves the Holy Places dear to the three great religions which worship the God who called Abraham.  The Holy Places are not monuments or museums for tourists, but places where communities of believers daily express their faith and culture, and carry out their works of charity.  Precisely for this reason, their sacred character must be perpetually maintained and protection given not only to the legacy of the past but also to all those who visit these sites today and to those who will visit them in the future.  May Jerusalem be truly the City of Peace!  May her identity and her sacred character, her universal religious and cultural significance shine forth as a treasure for all mankind!  How good it is when pilgrims and residents enjoy free access to the Holy Places and can freely take part in religious celebrations.
Mr President, you are known as a man of peace and a peacemaker.  I appreciate and admire the approach you have taken.  Peacemaking demands first and foremost respect for the dignity and freedom of every human person, which Jews, Christians and Muslims alike believe to be created by God and destined to eternal life.  This shared conviction enables us resolutely to pursue peaceful solutions to every controversy and conflict.  Here I renew my plea that all parties avoid initiatives and actions which contradict their stated determination to reach a true agreement and that they tirelessly work for peace, with decisiveness and tenacity.
There is likewise need for a firm rejection of all that is opposed to the cultivation of peace and respectful relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims.  We think, for example, of recourse to violence and terrorism, all forms of discrimination on the basis of race or religion, attempts to impose one’s own point of view at the expense of the rights of others, anti-Semitism in all its possible expressions, and signs of intolerance directed against individuals or places of worship, be they Jewish, Christian or Muslim. 
A variety of Christian communities live and work in the State of Israel.  They are an integral part of society and participate fully in its civic, political and cultural affairs.  Christians wish, as such, to contribute to the common good and the growth of peace; they wish to do so as full-fledged citizens who reject extremism in all its forms and are committed to fostering reconciliation and harmony. 
The presence of these communities and respect for their rights – as for the rights of all other religious groups and all minorities – are the guarantee of a healthy pluralism and proof of the vitality of democratic values as they are authentically embodied in the daily life and workings of the State.
Mr President, I assure you of my prayers for the institutions and the citizens of the State of Israel.  I likewise assure you of my constant prayer for the attainment of peace and all the inestimable goods which accompany it: security, tranquillity, prosperity and fraternity.  Finally, my thoughts turn to all those afflicted by the continuing crises in the Middle East.  I pray that their sufferings may soon be alleviated by an honourable resolution of hostilities.  Peace be upon Israel and the entire Middle East!  Shalom!


Related Articles:

Category: Divine Mercy 救主慈悲, Highlight, Jubilee Year, Pope Francis, 慈悲禧年, 教宗方濟各

Tag: Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis, 慈悲禧年, 教宗方濟各

教宗良十四世再次呼籲立即停止在加沙的野蠻戰爭

Sunday, July 20, 2025

鹽與光

教宗:「致我親愛的中東基督徒兄弟姊妹:面對這嚴峻的局勢,你們或許常感到自己無能為力,對此,我深表同理與關懷。請你們知道,你們常存於教宗的心中,也常存於整個普世教會的心中。感謝你們為信仰作出的見證。願至聖童貞瑪利亞,黎凡特(Levant)之母、那位在歷史中升起的新太陽的曙光,常常護佑你們,並陪伴這世界邁向和平的黎明。」

教宗在阿爾巴諾主教座堂主持主日彌撒

Sunday, July 20, 2025

鹽與光

【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月20日,教宗良十四世在岡道爾夫堡夏宮度過第三個主日,於鄰近的阿爾巴諾聖龐加爵主教座堂(Cathedral of San Pancrazio)主持了常年期第十六主日彌撒。教宗反省了款待、服事與聆聽,強調這些是建立與天主及他人關係的核心要素。

教宗良十四世與以色列總理通電話:呼籲各方重啟談判、促成停火並終結戰爭

Friday, July 18, 2025

鹽與光

【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月18日,聖座新聞室發出公告表示,教宗良十四世於當天早上在岡道爾夫堡夏宮與以色列國總理內塔尼亞胡進行了電話通話。教宗再次呼籲各方重啟談判、促成停火並終結戰爭。

耶路撒冷拉丁禮宗主教與希臘正教耶路撒冷宗主教探望受襲教堂

Friday, July 18, 2025

鹽與光

【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月18日,耶路撒冷拉丁禮宗主教區發出新聞公告,耶路撒冷拉丁禮宗主教皮扎巴拉樞機與希臘正教耶路撒冷宗主教德敖斐羅三世帶領教會代表團,於早上時間進入加沙,代表聖地教會表達對加薩信友的牧靈關懷與團結之情。

加沙天主教堂遇襲,教宗再次呼籲加沙停火

Thursday, July 17, 2025

鹽與光

【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月17日,在以色列軍隊針對加沙聖家堂發動攻擊,造成三人死亡、數人重傷後,教宗良十四世(Pope Leo XIV)向當地信友表達關懷,並再次呼籲立即停火。根據加沙衛生部門的統計,自2023年10月7日以來,加沙戰爭已造成超過60,200人死亡,其中包含58,313名巴勒斯坦人與1,983名以色列人。同日,耶路撒冷拉丁禮宗教區也發出聲明嚴正譴責受襲擊事件。

SUPPORT LABEL

Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Copyright © 2025 Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
Registered Charity # 88523 6000 RR0001
FR | CH