“Dear brothers and sisters, I am thinking of you and praying for you”. Thus begins the letter addressed by the Pope to the Catholics of the Middle East on the day of the anniversary of the terrorist attack in Israel, on which the Holy Father has called for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace. “I want to reach out to you on this sad day”, Pope Francis remarked: “A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit; it did not sputter, but exploded in a spiral of violence, in the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war. Blood is still being shed, as are tears. Anger is growing, along with the desire for revenge, while it seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired: dialogue and peace”. “I never tire of repeating that war is a defeat, that weapons do not build the future but destroy it, that violence never brings peace”, the Pope stressed once again: “History proves this, yet years and years of conflict seem to have taught us nothing. And you, brothers and sisters in Christ who dwell in the lands of which the Scriptures speak most often, are a small, defenceless flock, thirsting for peace”. “Thank you for what you are, thank you for wanting to remain in your lands, thank you for being able to pray and love despite everything”, the Pope said as a tribute: “You are a seed loved by God. Just as a seed, apparently pressed down by the earth that covers it, is always able to find its way upwards, towards the light, in order to bear fruit and give life, do not let yourselves be engulfed by the darkness that surrounds you. Planted in your sacred lands, become sprouts of hope, because the light of faith leads you to testify to love amid words of hatred, to encounter amid growing confrontation, to unity amid increasing hostility. With the heart of a father, I write to you, God’s holy people, children of your ancient Churches, today experiencing a real ‘martyrdom’, seeds of peace amid the winter of war, believers in Jesus who is ‘gentle and humble of heart’ and, in him, witnesses to the power of a non-violent peace”.