An urgent supplication

Pope Benedict was supposed to be on holiday lately, but the war in the Middle East broke out, and he is most seriously engaged in addressing it. He called for a World Day of Prayer for Peace last Sunday, but not sure how much of the universal Church responded. I know of too many parishes that didn’t mention it.

The best Vatican watcher I know of is Sandro Magister, and he has had two articles this week that give keen insight into the Pope’s particular approach to the war. This one explains a lot to journalists and pundits who wonder why the Pope is making pronouncements that don’t lean toward their politics, namely

one of the constant features of the Vatican’s politics in the Holy Land: paying attention to the people more than to the government.

And this one defines Benedict’s stature as a leader not of a nation, but of humanity.

At the same time as the opening of the international conference on the war in Lebanon in the Italian capital – with representatives from the United Nations, the World Bank, the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, the Muslim countries, and the Vatican – the position of Benedict XVI distinguishes itself for its sheer clarity and originality.

And this is what Sandro means by clarity:

The pope said that the three pillars for a stable peace in the region are these:

“the right of the Lebanese to the integrity and sovereignty of their country, the right of the Israelis to live in peace in their state, and the right of the Palestinians to have a free and sovereign homeland.”

After Sandro’s analysis, he reprints a transcript of Pope Benedict’s impromptu homily. He ends, predictably, with a prayer. But one with a surprisingly urgent supplication.

“Deliver us, O Lord, from all evil, and grant us peace in our day.” Let this be our prayer in this moment: “Deliver us from all evil, and give us peace.” Not tomorrow or the next day: give us peace, Lord, today! Amen.