Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed dismay at the “death and destruction” caused by Israeli reprisal strikes targeting Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanon.
“I am saddened by the news coming from Lebanon about bombings, death, and destruction. May the international community make every effort to stop this terrible escalation. It is unacceptable. I express my solidarity with the Lebanese people, who have already suffered too much,” he tweeted.
In a follow-up tweet five minutes later, the pontiff added: “Let us pray together for all people who are suffering because of war. Let us not forget martyred Ukraine, Myanmar, Palestine, Israel, Sudan, all martyred peoples. Let us pray for peace!”
The posts came hours before the United States, Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar called jointly for an “immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement.”
The statement did not refer to Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terror group, which has launched some 9,000 rockets, missiles and suicide drones at the Jewish state since joining the war in support of Hamas a day after the Palestinian terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre.
Last week, Francis said that he stood with the family of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct.7 and murdered by the terrorist group in late August.
“I pray for the victims and continue to be close to all the families of the hostages,” he said before singling out the mother of the American-born hostage. “Rachel’s humanity struck me,” he said. “I think of the mothers who have lost sons to war, how many young lives have been cut short,” he added. “I stand with Rachel during this time.”
Earlier this month, Francis had condemned the death of Palestinian children in an Israeli strike targeting Hamas terrorists in Gaza as “ugly.”
In December, the pope described children dying in wars, including in the Gaza Strip, as the “little Jesuses of today,” and said that Israeli military actions were reaping an “appalling harvest.”
