Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was in Rome on Oct. 15 and gave an interview to Vatican Radio, in which he called for a change of leadership both in Israel and in Gaza. “I believe there is a need for new political leadership, but also religious leadership,” the high Catholic prelate said. “This is very important, and we have already begun to make contact. We need new faces, new figures who can help rebuild a different narrative, one based on mutual respect. It will take a long time, because the wounds are deep, but we must not give up. Therefore, there is still hope of building lasting peace, even though right now we are only at the first steps.…
“The timeline will be long; we should not fool ourselves into thinking it will come soon. “We must also keep in mind the failures of past agreements—the many failures that have deeply undermined trust between the parties. There will be several phases. I think perhaps the next generation will have a freedom that this generation does not have. But the task of this generation is to prepare the next one. So, little by little, we must create the foundations and conditions, with new faces and new leadership, and above all, create environments that gradually foster a culture of respect, which will in turn bring peace.”
