Pope Francis Calls For ‘Moderation And Dialogue’ After Temple Mount Violence
ROME (JTA) – Expressing trepidation and urging prayers for peace, Pope Francis appealed for “moderation and dialogue” in the wake of recent violence in Jerusalem centering on the Temple Mount.
Addressing crowds who braved fierce heat to gather for his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said he was “following with trepidation the grave tensions and violence of the last days in Jerusalem.”
On Friday, a 19-year-old Palestinian stabbed to death three members of one family as they sat at their Shabbat table in the West Bank settlement of Halamish. On July 14, Arab gunmen at the Temple Mount – a site holy to Jews and Muslims — shot dead two Israeli policemen. The Israel government’s decision to place metal detectors at the entrance to the site in response sparked clashes that left three dead and scores injured.
“I feel the need to express a heartfelt appeal for moderation and dialogue,” Francis said. He invited the faithful to join with him in prayer “so that the Lord may inspire all involved with proposals for reconciliation and peace.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
