The Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis had died in the morning, a day after appearing publicly for Easter and delivering an address where he called for peace in Gaza and in other conflict zones.
Pope Francis, who died at 88, had been outspoken in his calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and criticism of Israel’s killing of civilians. He also kept in close contact with the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, by holding nightly phone calls with its priest and parishioners.
“I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation,” Francis said in his Easter address, which was read by an archbishop due to his poor health. “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages, and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!”
Palestinian Christians in Gaza told Reuters that they were “heartbroken” at the loss of Pope Francis. “We lost a saint who taught us every day how to be brave, how to keep patient, and stay strong. We lost a man who fought every day in every direction to protect this small herd of his,” George Antone, head of the emergency committee of the Holy Family Church, told the news agency.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said in a condolence message that Gaza was a “symbol” of Francis’s pontificate. “He was always close to the poor and against war. ‘War is a defeat,’ he repeated this continuously,” Pizzaballa said.
Pizzaballa has visited Gaza twice since October 7, 2023, and is believed to be a potential candidate to become the next pope. “I want to send a clear message to decision-makers. Enough killing!” Pizzaballa said after visiting Gaza in May 2024. “The war must end, and avenues for various aid must be opened to avoid an imminent humanitarian crisis. I hope this nightmare ends quickly.”
In December 2023, Israeli snipers killed two Christian women at the Holy Family Church, an incident Pope Francis denounced as “terrorism.” Over the past 18 months, Francis has also called for an investigation into whether Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide and said Israel’s bombing of civilians was unacceptable, comments that angered Israeli officials and their supporters in the West.
Munther Isaac, an Evangelical Lutheran Pastor in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, said in a post on X that Francis was a “dear friend” of Palestinians and Palestinian Christians. “Pope Francis was beloved in Palestine. He conveyed true compassion to Palestinians, most notably to those in Gaza during this genocide,” he said.
In 2014, Francis prayed at the West Bank barrier wall, known as the apartheid wall, during a visit to Bethlehem. “When Pope Francis stopped, touched the wall, and said a prayer, it was truly a monumental moment that made waves in world news. Pope Francis couldn’t help but notice the ugliness of this concrete structure at the heart of Bethlehem,” Isaac said.
Pope Francis had also consistently called for peace in Ukraine through negotiations and pointed to the root causes of the conflict, including NATO expansion. “May the risen Christ grant Ukraine, devastated by war, his Easter gift of peace, and encourage all parties involved to pursue efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace,” he said in his Easter address.
Francis also called for a settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and for an end to conflict in Yemen, which has been under heavy US bombardment. “I also think in particular of the people of Yemen, who are experiencing one of the world’s most serious and prolonged humanitarian crises because of war, and I invite all to find solutions through a constructive dialogue,” he said.
