One year after the attack perpetrated by Hamas in Israel, Pope Francis addressed a letter on Monday, October 7, to Catholics in the Middle East and to men and women of all faiths who suffer from "the madness of war.

In a letter on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks in the Middle East, Pope Francis calls for an end to conflict and a dialogue of peace.

As fighting in the Middle East intensified and spread, Pope Francis turned to Mary, begging her to "intercede for our world in danger."

Pope Francis expresses sorrow over the expanding war that has now reached "martyrized" Lebanon and called for "an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine, and Israel."

In a brief press conference on the plane returning from Belgium, Pope Francis answered questions including one on Israel’s targeted killings in Lebanon and Gaza, and others related to his meeting with abuse victims in Brussels, the role of women in society and the reason why he thinks the former Belgian King Baudouin should be canonized.

Pope Francis once again calls for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Middle East and urges the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, ahead of the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel of October 7th 2023.