Pope Francis
Pope Francis has said things that “distort Israel’s legitimate military campaign and fuel antisemitism and unjust targeting of the Jewish state,” the umbrella Jewish group stated.
“It is essential that pronouncements on the difficult and complex Gaza hostilities be accurate, open-eyed and fair,” the more than 180-year-old nonprofit stated.
Francis has been increasingly critical of Israel.
Pontiff claims children are being “machine-gunned” by the IDF.
“This is cruelty. This is not war,” the Roman pontiff said of Israel’s strikes against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Abbas wished Pope Francis well ahead of Christmas, while urging churches around the world to mention “the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
“This crèche not only denigrated Jewish heritage, it also undermined core tenets of the Christian faith,” said David Parsons, senior vice president and spokesman for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.
The P.A. chief will reportedly visit Italy as part of the trip, where he will meet President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The pre-Christmas inauguration of “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024" comes just weeks after the Catholic leader called for an international investigation to determine if Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas in Gaza constituted genocide.
“There was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens, and since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defense against attempts from seven different fronts to kill its citizens,” said Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican.
It marks the first time the leader of the Catholic Church has called for an investigation into the allegation.
While not mentioning Israel specifically, Pope Francis said in response to a question about the IDF’s campaign in Lebanon that all countries must beware the tendency to go “beyond morality” when conducting wars.
