Unjust violence against innocent people can never be a means to justice in the world. The unprovoked attack on Israeli citizens and the State of Israel by Hamas can only be judged and condemned as an immoral and barbaric act of aggression demanding a military response within moral limits in order that Israel defend itself. I ask that all people of faith pray that Hamas will cease its attacks and return to just and peaceful means of securing Palestinian rights. Let us all join in fervent prayer for the innocent victims of war who have died, the release of hostages, healing for all those who are injured and hope for their loved ones in the Middle East. We also pray for our Jewish neighbors here in the Diocese of Worcester who have been deeply shaken by this horrific and lethal aggression. We stand in fraternal solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters for, as Pope Pius XI said years ago, “Spiritually, we are all Semites.”