Archbishop Sorrentino Opens Assisi March for Ceasefire in Gaza to "stop the massacres" so "the world can hear the cries of the children"

Vatican News reported about the ceasefire march in Assisi, Italy, the birthplace of Saint Francis. The necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza was the focus of the peace march in Assisi, an extraordinary session of which was organized on Sunday, December 10, to demand an end to the massacres in Gaza. About 5,000 people from all over Italy participated in the march, along with representatives of church groups as well as political, social and trade union parties.
The march began behind a large banner that read, “Let’s stop the massacres.” A group of march participants also raised a banner with human rights written on it, to emphasize respect for them on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the issuance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights..

The Archbishop of Assisi, Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, opened the march, reminding us that commitment to peace is something that concerns everyone, which also includes the need to exert pressure on a policy that, he said, often seems wrong. During the opening, the Archbishop returned to the words of Pope Francis on Sunday morning after reciting the Angelus prayer, when he stressed that affirming human rights is not achieved by slogans, but by concrete actions.
At the end of the march, there was an intervention by Father Ibrahim Faltas, Deputy Custodian of the Holy Land, during which he gave testimony to the tragedy taking place in Gaza. On the other hand, he referred to the situation in Bethlehem, where a Christmas celebration marked by pain and suffering is expected. He stressed that there is a need for a great commitment by everyone so that the powerful of the world can hear our cries and the cries of large numbers of children and decide to impose an immediate ceasefire.
Holy Mass
The peace march concluded with a Holy Mass in the Basilica of St. Francis, presided over by the monastery’s holy guardian, Father Marco Morrone. He started his sermon from today’s reading from the Second Epistle of Saint Peter: “However, we await, as God has promised, new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness resides.” Therefore, beloved, be diligent, as you look for these things, to be before Him blameless and blameless, so that you may be found in peace. (3, 14).
He called on the guardian of the holy monastery to ask whether we are doing everything possible and what we can do as a group of believers to exist in peace. He continued, trying, as he mentioned, to identify ways for our commitment as individuals and as a community, as believers and also as humanity. In the course of his speech, he returned to the specific experience and words of Saint Francis of Assisi when he said to the Bishop of Assisi, who expressed his concern in the face of the harsh life that the Franciscan monks lived, that if we had wealth, we would have to have weapons to defend ourselves, because disputes and quarrels come from wealth, and we would be deprived of this in many ways. To love God and our neighbor, and that is why we do not want to have material goods in this world. Father Moroni therefore reminded that conflicts are often the result of the desire for possession and domination.
Another path pointed out by the Holy Guardian of the Monastery is the path of justice and peace, where one is linked to the other. He said justice means ensuring that every person has what is necessary to live a dignified and safe life. Then he drew attention to the large gap in our world between the poor and the rich, and stressed that we, as believers, cannot neglect the duty of humanizing the earth and ensuring life for all..
Another connection that Father Moroni touched upon is that between love and truth. He said that conflicts are often caused and fueled by a land filled with lies, and accusations are often directed at the other, through manipulation of the news and media, of being a potential enemy because of his or her difference in culture, religion, or His political orientation. He therefore stressed the need for the search for truth to take the form of a true act of love.
Then forgiveness was another path, as the Holy Guardian of the Monastery continued, pointing out the spread of violence and the desire for revenge, while the Lord proposes to us the high standard of forgiveness as a method and horizon in order to receive the other. In his sermon, he wanted to distinguish between living in peace and building peace, and said that tolerating injustice and not responding to those who practice violence against us today can be a way to achieve lasting peace in the future.
Sources: Abouna.org and Vatican News Italian