The 69-year-old cardinal’s remarks took a rhetorical turn to express his closeness and prayers for the departed, the injured, and those who continue to suffer.
“There are many who, driven by hatred, have killed others, and we ask the Lord that they change their ways, converting to love. There are many dead, and for them we pray with faith that they rejoice in eternal peace. Many are hostages, and we ask the Lord that they can soon return to the affection of their loved ones. There are many injured, and we ask the Lord that they be helped and cared for. There are many Jews, Christians, and Muslims who are suffering tremendously in these days, and we ask the Lord to console them,” De Donatis said in a solemn tone.
The cardinal’s words resonated with the faithful, many of whom were visibly moved by the words and the power of the vigil.
Quoting the Holy Father’s appeal from the Angelus earlier that day, De Donatis renewed the pope’s appeal for peace in the Middle East: “Please, no more innocent blood be shed, neither in the Holy Land, nor in Ukraine or anywhere else! Enough! Wars are always a defeat, always!
De Donatis ended his mediation quoting St. John XXIII’s seminal 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris, (Peace on Earth): “May all peoples welcome each other to their hearts as brothers, and may the peace they long for ever flower and ever reign among them.”
Matthew Santucci has recently started in EWTN’s Vatican bureau. He grew up in Connecticut and has been living in Rome since 2020. He has a B.A. in History from Fordham and an M.A. in International Relations from Luiss Guido Carli.