The families of several Israelis held captive in Gaza met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday as part of the continuous efforts to raise international awareness of the issue of soldiers and civilians held by the terrorist organization Hamas.
Accompanied by Israel's ambassador to the Vatican and the head of the Diaspora and Religion Department at the Foreign Ministry, the families requested the assistance of the Pope and the Catholic Church in returning the bodies of the soldiers, the late Lt. Hadar Goldin, and the late Sgt. Oron Shaul, and the release of the detained citizens who are in the hands of Hamas, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.
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Families of Israelis held in Gaza meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican
(Photo: Embassy of Israel at the Vatican)
The meeting lasted about 45 minutes, during which Pope Francis addressed each of the members of the four families that participated, expressing deep solidarity with them and especially with the suffering of the mothers. The Pope promised to work with governments and religious leaders for the return of the captives.
Leah Goldin, the mother of Hadar Goldin, told i24NEWS that the message they brought to the pontiff was one of a religious issue.
"To bring my son to a decent burial is a purely religious, moral issue, according to all religions. And talking about the mother's obligation to bury her son, it goes right into his heart and deepest beliefs," she said.
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Clockwise from top left: Fallen soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, captives Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu
"I think that the message was well accepted. And he kept saying that all mothers should receive their kids, no matter what religion. He promised he would try hard to use his influence on other religious leaders around the world."