Cardinal Matteo Zuppi: may the truce in the Holy Land lead to a concrete future

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), expressed the closeness of the Catholic Church in Italy to both Israel and Palestine and hoped that the truce in the Holy Land would strengthen peace and lead to a “concrete future.”

The Archbishop of Bologna (Italy) also presided over the inauguration of the winter session of the Permanent Council of the Italian bishops, held in Rome since last January 20 and which ends this Wednesday.

In your long speechthe cardinal reflected on the “dramatic times” of the war and stressed that the Italian Church unites in prayer so that peace can be achieved in places plagued by conflicts.

In particular, the cardinal expressed his hope that the Jubilee “offers the opportunity to reach the long-awaited and indispensable agreements that find just and lasting solutions, with a strong resurgence of the presence of the international community, multilateralism and the instruments necessary to guarantee the right and not the resort to weapons to resolve conflicts.”

The cardinal placed his gaze in particular on the truce reached in the Holy Land and hoped “that it will strengthen peace and initiate a new process that leads to a concrete future.”

He also underlined the closeness of the Catholic Church in Italy to Israel and hoped that “he can finally be reunited with his kidnapped loved ones, have the necessary security and continue fighting against anti-Semitism that manifests itself in subtle and ambiguous forms.”

In this sense, he condemned “the phenomena of resurgent anitsemitism” and reiterated the importance of dialogue between Catholics and Jews, stating that “only friendship and dialogue will continue to strengthen our relationship, which for our part is constant and not at all weakened.”

In turn, Cardinal Zuppi showed his closeness “to the Palestinians and their suffering” and expressed his hope that finally “a path can begin that allows this people to be recognized in their full dignity and freedom.”

In this context, the Italian cardinal condemned the production and trade of arms and, taking as a reference the Holy Father’s call to end this practice, asked: “Shouldn’t his proposal to create a fund to combat poverty instead of filling arsenals?”

Challenges of the Italian people

Regarding the challenges facing Italy, the cardinal highlighted the “poor and precarious” work that means people cannot imagine a future, a situation that also favors illegality.

Regarding migration, he highlighted the reduction in migrant landings in Italian territory, although he regretted that “the number of shipwreck victims remains high.”

“The need is evident not to weaken the culture of the rights of asylum seekers and refugees, offering rules of secure rights and duties, flows and channels that allow the entry of the necessary workers, who are never just arms, but people that require visionary integration policies,” he noted.

In his speech he also cited the importance of synodality, which he referred to as “a sign of vitality of the Church in Italy.” “Now it is up to all of us to complete this process, giving clear instructions and then accompanying the reception phase, first of all supporting our priests,” he stressed.

Within the framework of the Jubilee of Hope 2025, Cardinal Zuppi reiterated that “hope does not disappoint” and affirmed that the doors of Italy’s churches are open to all. “I would like the Jubilee to encourage us to carry out creative and stable programs for those who are experiencing difficulties,” he said.