Pope Francis has doubled down on calling out Israel’s “cruelty” in Gaza after he was criticized by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Pope Francis first made the comments on Saturday when he said Israel prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from entering Gaza. “Yesterday, they did not allow the Patriarch into Gaza as promised. Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war,” he said.
The pope was referring to Israeli airstrikes on Friday that hit a home in Jabalia, killing seven children from the same family. “I want to say it because it touches my heart,” he said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded by saying, “The Pope’s remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel’s fight against jihadist terrorism — a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7.”
The ministry added, “The blame should be directed solely at the terrorists, not at the democracy defending itself against them. Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people.”
Pope Francis was not deterred by the statement and offered more sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday. “And with pain, I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty,” he said after his weekly Angelus prayer.
Also on Sunday, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was able to enter Gaza, bringing attention to the enclave’s small Christian minority. He led Mass at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City and visited the nearby Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church.
Both Christian churches have come under Israeli attack. In October 2023, Israeli strikes killed 18 Palestinian civilians who were sheltering at St. Porphyrius, including relatives of former US congressman Justin Amash. In July 2024, Israeli shelling hit a building in the compound of St. Porphyrius, causing minor damage and wounding three.
The Holy Family Catholic Church was under siege in December 2023, and two women were shot and killed by IDF snipers. Seven others who were trying to help the women were wounded. At the time, Pope Francis denounced the attack as “terrorism.”
Pope Francis has also called for an investigation into whether or not Israel is committing genocide. “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” he said in a new book. “We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”
The pope has consistently called for peace in Gaza and other conflict zones around the world. On Sunday, he wrote on X, “Let us pray so that at Christmas there may be a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, throughout the Middle East and the entire world. May weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!”
