Pope Francis continued to escalate his criticism of Israel, accusing it of "machine-gunning of children” and carrying out the “bombing of schools and hospitals" in Gaza during his weekly mass on Sunday.
The pontiff's remarks came just a day after he condemned Israel following an airstrike in Gaza that killed seven children from one family. "Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart," he told members of the Holy See's government.
Israeli officials have accused Pope Francis of causing "significant damage" to Israel’s standing in the Christian world and alleged a double standard in the Vatican's approach to the country.
In a pointed statement, the Foreign Ministry responded to his comments, saying, “Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children. Cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including babies and children, and abusing them.
“Unfortunately, the pope chose to ignore all of this, as well as the fact that Israel's actions targeted terrorists using children as human shields. His remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel’s fight against jihadist terrorism—a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7.”
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli sharply criticized those comments in an unusual open letter published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio on Friday. Chikli said the pope's remarks amounted to a "trivialization" of the term genocide.
"As a nation that lost six million of its people in the Holocaust, we have a unique sensitivity to the misuse of the term 'genocide' — a misuse that brings us closer to Holocaust denial," he wrote.
The Vatican has intensified its criticism of Israel in recent months, abandoning even a pretense of balance — signaling a concerning policy shift by the pope. His recent stance stands in contrast to the Holy See's modern tradition of neutrality.
Recently, he published a book suggesting an examination of whether the situation in Gaza "meets the technical definition of genocide," an accusation Israel vehemently denies.
At the end of September, the pope also criticized Israel's "immoral use of force" in Gaza and Lebanon. The Vatican has recognized the State of Palestine and maintained diplomatic relations with it since 2013 while supporting a two-state solution.
Henrique Zimmermann, an Israeli journalist reporting for international media and a close associate of the pope, has met him seven times in the past three months. "I spoke to him about it and told him why I believe he's making a big mistake by saying what's happening in Gaza is genocide. He told me I was right," Zimmermann said.
"He said he never accused Israel of genocide. He said he was asked whether he thought it was genocide and he replied that experts should determine that — not him."
Regarding the pope's participation in the event featuring Jesus in a cradle with a keffiyeh, Zimmermann explained, "The installation was created by the Bethlehem community and I don't think the pope even noticed the keffiyeh.”
“There was a justified outcry in the Jewish world after the event, including from his close friends. Rabbis from Argentina, who've been his friends for 30 years, pointed out, 'You know better than anyone that Jesus is Jewish, not Palestinian.' So the pope ordered the keffiyeh removed,” he added.
Zimmermann further said that the pope faces intense pressure from various factions within the Church who sympathize with Palestinians in Gaza. "He receives a lot of criticism from the Arab world for being pro-Israel and for having many Jewish friends," Zimmermann said.
"He's been in contact with the church in Gaza since October 7, which houses 610 Christians. They update him on what's happening and often poison his views."
"Every time we meet, I see all kinds of materials sent to him in Spanish by official Palestinian entities and Palestinian embassies in South America about 'the generals' plan,' what Israel is doing and the harm to children and women. There's nothing representing the Israeli side,” he said.
“The new ambassador has much goodwill but has just arrived and met with the pope only once or twice. The pope also has friends in communities near the Gaza border and he consistently mentioned the issue of returning the hostages in various speeches for months. He was also involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to secure the hostages' release, including with U.S. President Joe Biden."
'We cannot afford to oppose the most influential person on Earth'
Zimmermann stressed that Israel cannot afford to confront someone who leads 2.4 billion people worldwide and whose every word is quoted. "His influence exceeds that of the U.S. president. We cannot afford to oppose the most influential person on Earth," he said.
"He defines antisemitism as a sin. He says it's permissible to criticize a government but unacceptable to question Israel's right to exist. That's antisemitism in his view. If I could disclose what he said about Hamas leaders, many things would change.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
"In my opinion, we need to talk to him and ask for him to meet with Israeli experts who’ll explain exactly what Israel is doing in Gaza. They should try to clarify why Israel entered Gaza. I do this with my limited capacity. We need someone to explain things to him in his language, just as the Palestinians do.”
“The State of Israel treats him as if he's the Vatican's chief rabbi and not a global leader. There's great ignorance about his role in Israel — people don't understand that he's important even when he says unpleasant things,” he added.