Catholic pontiff uses his Easter sermon to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages, while also lamenting the rise in global antisemitism.
By World Israel News Staff
Pope Francis on Sunday lamented the global rise in antisemitism while also condemning the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and calling for a ceasefire.
Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Easter Sunday, the Roman Catholic pontiff called the rise in antisemitism around the world “worrisome” while also expressing concern for the population of the Gaza Strip, including its dwindling Christian population.
The “growing climate of antisemitism around the world is worrisome,” Pope Francis said.
“I think of the people of Gaza and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation,” Francis said.
The small Christian community in Gaza has declined sharply under Hamas rule, falling from over 5,000 people at the time of the terror group’s takeover in 2007 to approximately 1,000 on the eve of the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.
The pope also called for a truce in the Gaza Strip that would include the freeing of the remaining 59 hostages, of whom Israeli intelligence estimates no more than 24 are still alive.
“I express my closeness to the sufferings … of all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,” the Pope added. “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages, and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”
The 88-year-old Catholic cleric made the appearance on Sunday despite lingering weakness following a five-week battle with pneumonia in both of his lungs. He remained in his wheelchair during the address, but he did greet a crowd of over 35,000 as he circled St. Peter’s Basilica in an open-topped Popemobile.
