Vatican City: Marking two years since the Hamas attacks on Israel that ignited the ongoing devastation in Gaza, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, delivered a powerful message against the dehumanization of war victims. In an exclusive conversation with Vatican Media, the Cardinal condemned both terrorism and the disproportionate violence that has followed, stressing that the world must “recover its humanity” and that “no human being can ever be treated as collateral damage.”
Reflecting on the October 7, 2023 assault, Parolin recalled the massacre as “inhuman and indefensible,” reiterating the Holy See’s strong condemnation of Hamas’s attack on thousands of civilians who were celebrating Simchat Torah. “The brutal violence against children, women, and the elderly was a shameful and inhuman act,” he said. “There can be no justification for such horror.”
Parolin emphasized that from the very first hours, the Vatican had demanded the release of hostages and expressed closeness to their families. “We prayed then, and we continue to pray,” he said, warning that the “spiral of hatred and vengeance” threatens to lead humanity “into an abyss with no return.”
Two years on, Parolin lamented that many hostages remain unaccounted for. “We cannot and must not forget them,” he said, recalling that Pope Francis had made 21 public appeals for their release before his death and that Pope Leo XIV continues those pleas. He affirmed that the Holy See stands ready to help secure their freedom or, at the very least, ensure that the deceased receive proper burials.
Turning to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Parolin described the suffering as “disastrous and inhuman.” The Cardinal said the destruction has gone far beyond legitimate defence. “Those who are attacked have a right to defend themselves,” he affirmed, “but even legitimate defence must respect proportionality.”
He denounced the daily toll of civilian deaths including countless children as an affront to conscience. “We risk becoming desensitized to this carnage,” he said gravely. “People are killed while searching for bread, bombed in hospitals and shelters, displaced from one corner of the strip to another. It is unacceptable to reduce human beings to mere collateral damage.”
The Vatican diplomat also addressed the surge in antisemitic acts worldwide, calling antisemitism “a cancer that must be eradicated.” He warned against blaming entire peoples for the crimes of governments, saying: “No Jew should be attacked for being Jewish, and no Palestinian should be discriminated against for being Palestinian.”
Cardinal Parolin urged the world to resist misinformation and oversimplified narratives that fuel hatred. He reminded listeners of the Shoah, saying that humanity “must dedicate all its strength to ensuring that such evil never rises again.”
Parolin expressed deep frustration with the international community’s paralysis, saying powerful nations must act decisively to halt the bloodshed. “It is not enough to declare what is happening as unacceptable and then continue to allow it,” he said. “We must ask whether it is legitimate to continue supplying weapons used against civilians.”
He cited Pope Leo XIV’s July 20 appeal, urging all states to uphold humanitarian law, protect civilians, and end the indiscriminate use of force and collective punishment. “These words,” Parolin said, “are still waiting to be understood.”
The Cardinal reaffirmed the Holy See’s long-standing position in support of a two-state solution, grounded in international law. “The creation of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian State living peacefully beside Israel remains the only credible path,” he said. He lamented that recent Israeli policies and settlement expansions appear designed to “prevent the birth of such a State once and for all.”
Cardinal Parolin spoke movingly of the Christian community in Gaza, who continue to suffer alongside their neighbours. “They remain steadfast, praying daily for peace and for the victims,” he said, praising the efforts of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Caritas for delivering aid under extreme conditions. “Their perseverance is a sign of faith they share in the fate of the tormented Palestinian people.”
Parolin concluded by insisting that prayer must always inspire concrete action. “Christian faith is either incarnate, or it is not faith at all,” he said. “We cannot be indifferent to what happens around us. Prayer and action must go hand in hand.”
He called on believers to join Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to pray the Rosary for peace on October 11, adding that true discipleship demands courage and compassion. “The Holy See,” he said, “continues to call for dialogue, negotiation, and diplomacy because the alternative is endless war and self-destruction. We must stop before it is too late.”