Pope Francis has called for an international investigation into the possibility that Israel has committed genocide in its war against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, a charge that Jerusalem vehemently denies.
In excerpts from a new book published by Italian daily La Stampa on Sunday, the pontiff is quoted as saying that according to some experts, “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.”
The head of the Catholic Church continued, “We should investigate carefully to assess whether this fits into the technical definition [of genocide] formulated by international jurists and organizations.”
It marks the first time that Francis has publicly called for an investigation into the accusations of genocide. Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment.
The book was written by Hernán Reyes Alcaide and titled “Hope never disappoints.” It is based on interviews with the pope.
His reported remarks drew a harsh rebuke from the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), which said in a statement that the comments could cause harm to Jews.
“The State of Israel is currently facing a war of intended annihilation on seven fronts, and these remarks look like a possible opening of an eighth front, from of all places, the Vatican, which can also lead to the spilling of Jewish blood around the world,” Combat Antisemitism Movement CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said.
“For a pope who appears to prize even-handedness and peace, we see that the Jewish state once again appears to be the exception. We had hoped after Nostra Aetate in 1965 that the Jewish people would be seen as equal to all others around the world by the Catholic hierarchy, but these claims suggest otherwise, and out of all the conflicts and real genocides around the world, the national homeland of the Jewish people is once again singled out as a target for opprobrium.”
“The Catholic Church has a very troubling history of investigations into the conduct of Jews, which were frequently called Inquisitions,” continued Roytman Dratwa.
“It would behoove Pope Francis to choose his words more carefully because they bring to mind a horrific and bloody history of Catholic religious leaders attacking Jews for the enjoyment of others in public at tribunals and Inquisitions where the Jew would always be found guilty regardless of the facts.”
The statement lamented that CAM leaders last year met with Vatican representatives in Israel about antisemitism but the meeting was never followed up.
Francis has been highly critical of Israel during its wars against Iranian-backed terrorist groups over the years.
In September, he expressed dismay at the “death and destruction” caused by Israeli reprisal strikes targeting Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure.
He also said Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon were “unacceptable” and urged the international community to do everything possible to halt the fighting.
In December, Francis labeled children dying in wars, including in the Gaza Strip, as the “little Jesuses of today,” and said that IDF actions were reaping an “appalling harvest.”
