The Lasalian community organized on October 18 a prayer gathering in response to Pope Francis’ call for unity and peace in the Holy Land.
The event was co-organized by the Lasallian Brothers, the Lasallian communities in the Holy Land, the International Association of Lasallian Universities, and the La Salle Foundation.
The global prayer gathering aimed to emphasize the importance of peace, unity, and solidarity in a region marked by ongoing conflict.
“We are convinced that prayer is the meek and holy force to oppose the diabolical force of hatred, terrorism, and war,” the Lasalian Brothers said in a statement.
The religious brothers echoed Pope Francis’ call to “do everything in our power so that let no more innocent blood be shed in the Holy Land” and urged all parties to respect humanitarian law.
The primary prayer event was held at the Order’s Generalate in Rome and connected via video to Bethlehem University, an institution entrusted to the Christian Brothers by Pope St. Paul VI since its foundation.
The Lasallian Brothers reaffirmed their solidarity with the victims of the conflict, extending their support to those suffering and the Lasallian communities in the Holy Land, consisting of four schools and a university.
In a Vatican News report, Brother Armin Luistro, FSC, the Superior General of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, said students in Lasalian schools in the Holy Land come from diverse backgrounds, including Jewish, Arab, Palestinian, Russian, and Ukrainian, coexisting peacefully.
Brother Luistro, who is a Filipino, emphasized the vital role of young people in building a future marked by justice and peace.
He said young people must work together to create innovative solutions for peace and called for a space where young minds can shape a peaceful future that may elude current leaders.
He expressed concerns about the potential consequences of the ongoing violence on future generations and stressed the need for the Church’s presence in the Holy Land.
“I really feared not only about the victims, the current victims, but how much, after this, the cycle of violence will continue in the next generations?” he said.
The La Salle Foundation has joined international calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and opposes the forced evacuation of the Gaza Strip.
It calls for the establishment of humanitarian channels to ensure the care and protection of human life during these challenging times.
