It is with great sadness that Justice & Peace Scotland join the rest of the Catholic community and indeed the whole world in mourning the death of our beloved Pope Francis. A papacy that will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire all of us who strive for justice and peace for generations to come.

A pope of peace, of reconciliation, of the refugee, of the marginalised, of the prisoner, of the forgotten, and of the earth: may he rest in peace and rise in glory with the Risen Lord. 🤍

✝️ We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

📸Archbishop Nolan celebrates Mass at Mount Calvary in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, in January of this year and Anne-Marie, our Catholic Social Teaching Engagement Officer, reads from Paul's letter to the Philippians:

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

📄STATEMENT: "A Sanctuary of Healing Struck in the Land of the Divine Healer"

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem have issued a statement in response to the Israeli airstrike on the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Palm Sunday. The full text of the statement is below and you can download and share on our website via the link in the comments.

"On this sacred Palm Sunday, as the faithful around the world raise palm branches in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem—an entry marked not by conquest, but by meekness, peace, and divine compassion—we find our hearts weighed with sorrow over the suffering endured in the very land upon which He walked.

"In the early light of this holy day, the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza, a place consecrated to healing and long rooted in the Christian vocation of mercy, was struck by an Israeli air assault that rendered its emergency and other critical departments inoperative. Patients in fragile condition, including children, were forced into the open streets. Among them, a twelve-year-old who perished during the chaotic evacuation. This death, like so many others, is a silent cry, a reminder of the innocent who suffer where care should prevail.

"This hospital, already strained by months of siege, stood as one of the last beacons of medical hope in Gaza, where dozens of healthcare institutions have been systematically destroyed. The stripping away of such sanctuaries of life and dignity is a tragedy that transcends all boundaries of politics and enters the realm of the sacred.

"Yet even amidst devastation, the light of faith remains unextinguished. In Gaza’s Zaytun Quarter, within the heart of the Old City, the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius held Palm Sunday prayers—quiet, steadfast, and full of grace—affirming that the witness of Christ’s peace endures, even when sorrow surrounds the sanctuary.

"As the Church that guards the Tomb of Christ and walks daily in the path of His Passion and Resurrection, we cannot turn away from this anguish. Yet we respond in prayer, bearing witness to the truth that mercy remains stronger than hatred, and that humanity, even when wounded, is never defeated.

"For as it is written: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

"Lord Jesus Christ, Divine Healer, have mercy on Gaza."

📸Photo: Aftermath of airstrike on Al-Ahli Arab Baptist hospital. Credit: AP.

Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us! 🕊️🙏