Vatican:

The opening prayer of the Synod's 16th Ordinary General Assembly was dedicated to world peace on Thursday morning. Iraqi Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, led the day's prayer by seeking peace for all people suffering from war, especially in the Holy Land, and also those suffering in Ukraine, Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon.

The Cardinal called for prayer, fraternity, and solidarity with those suffering. He said the people are waiting, with much hope to live in dignity and in fraternity, and not always in fear and concern.

The Assembly prayed a number of times, including the verse from Psalm 129, "Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord; Lord hear my voice."

The Holy Father has appealed many times for peace in war-torn countries, including an appeal for the Holy Land during his Wednesday General Audience. He has also prayed for nations in the Middle East affected by conflict. He has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded more than 15 months ago.

Margaret Karram, the President of the Focolare Movement, also requested prayers for peace during the Synod's prayer.

"Lord, we pray to you for the Holy Land, for the people of Israel and Palestine who are under the grip of unprecedented violence, for the victims, especially the children, for the wounded, for those held hostage, for the missing and their families," she said.

Ms. Karram also thought about the other Middle Eastern nations as well as all other war-torn nations that lived in fear and devastation.

"Help us, Lord, to build a fraternal world so that these people and those in the same conditions of conflict of instability and violence may find the path of respect for human rights where justice, dialogue, and reconciliation are the indispensable tools for building peace," she said.

Meanwhile, Latin American Bishops also called for renewed prayer for peace in the world, especially in the face of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) prayed for the victims, their families, and friends, so that the Lord may give them strength and consolation.

According to the latest media reports, more than 3,000 deaths have been recorded, including Israelis and Palestinians, following the attack initiated by the Hamas terrorist group against Israel from the Gaza Strip last weekend, and the consequent Israeli military response.