Pope Francis Denounces Leaders' "Shameful Inability" to End Israel-Hamas War
Catholic prelates condemn antisemitism, which has surged since the conflict began a year ago.
By Gary Gately
On the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Pope Francis on Monday condemned “the shameful inability” of the international community to end the conflict, while renewing his plea for a ceasefire and release of hostages, saying, “War is defeat.”
“Blood is still being shed, as are tears," Francis said in a letter to Catholics in the Middle East. “Anger is growing, along with the desire for revenge, while it seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired: dialogue and peace.”
Francis, who has called for a day of fasting and prayers for peace on Monday, wrote: “A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit; it did not sputter, but exploded in a spiral of violence, in the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war.”
A year ago today, militants from the Islamist terrorist group Hamas launched a series of cross-border armed raids and rocket attacks in Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 250 hostage. Israel declared war on Hamas the next day, and the health ministry in Gaza reports that about 42,000 people in the territory have since been killed. More than 1,100 Israelis have been killed in the war, the nation’s government says. Over 100 Israelis remain in captivity, and 700 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Israeli attacks on the West Bank.
Antisemitic incidents have soared across the globe in the past year, drawing condemnation Monday from President Biden, former President Donald Trump and Catholic prelates.
Pope Francis wrote in his impassioned letter: “There is one thing that I wish to say to you, from the bottom of my heart, dear brothers and sisters, but also to the men and women of every confession and religion who in the Middle East are suffering from the insanity of war: I am close to you, I am with you.
“I am with you, the people of Gaza, long embattled and in dire straits. You are in my thoughts and prayers daily…. I am with you, the mothers who weep while looking at your dead or wounded children, like Mary at the sight of Jesus; with you, the children of the great lands of the Middle East, where the intrigues of those in power deprive you of your right to play. I am with you, who are afraid to look up for fear of fire raining down from the skies.”
Pope Francis’ letter did not mention Israel or Hamas, but warned that the “powerful” who "impose the “devastation of war” on others will be “subject to the inflexible judgment of God.”
The 87-year-old Jesuit pontiff’s letter comes eight days after he denounced “disproportionate attacks that go beyond morality” when asked about Israel's recent escalation of attacks in Lebanon that targeted top Hezbollah commanders. In his comments, which came during a press conference on the papal plane en route to Rome from Belgium, Francis did not mention Israel by name.
Across the globe Monday, somber vigils, ceremonies and demonstrations took place, including numerous gatherings in Israel and Gaza, some in support of Israel; others, Palestinians.
The progressive Jewish organization Jewish Voice for Peace on Monday decried Israel’s “campaign of death and destruction that has brought the Middle East to a state of war, with millions fleeing bombs — the vast majority supplied by the U.S. — in terror for their lives.”
The group added in a statement: “We mourn the at least 42,000 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, knowing the true death toll is likely far higher. We mourn the 1,200 Israelis killed in Hamas’s attacks. And we mourn the 2,000 Lebanese killed by Israeli bombardment.”
For his part, Biden, America’s second Catholic president, joined First Lady Jill Biden and Rabbi Aaron Alexander of Adas Israel Congregation for a candle-lighting ceremony at the White House to mark the first anniversary of the start of the war.
“God full of mercy, who dwells on high, grant fitting rest on the wings of the divine presence to the holy and pure, the brave, for the souls of the holy ones, men, women and children who were killed on October 7,” Rabbi Alexander said. "For this, we pray for the ascent of their souls. May they rest in the Garden of Eden. May you shelter them in the shadow of your wings forever, and may their souls be bound up in the bond of everlasting life. May they rest in peace."
The White House said in a statement that Biden had also expressed his “deepest condolences to the people of Israel and to the families of the 1,200 innocent people — including 46 Americans — massacred by the terrorist group Hamas on a day of unspeakable brutality.” The president also condemned the “vicious surge in antisemitism in America and around the world” and said “far too many” civilians have suffered during the year-long conflict, adding: “Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live in security, dignity, and peace.”
Former President Donald Trump will participate in an event with Jewish community leaders in Florida on Monday evening to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 terror attack, his campaign announced.
The event is designed to “honor the 1,200 lives lost” in the attack and to “remember the victims of antisemitic violence that has continued to afflict communities worldwide.”
Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign's press secretary, repeated Trump's claims that Biden had emboldened Iran, which supports Hamas, and that the Israel-Hamas war wouldn't have happened had Trump remained in office.
“For Americans and Israelis alike, it’s imperative that President Trump is re-elected so he can end the bloodshed caused by an emboldened Iranian terrorist regime, which is stronger and richer today from the Harris-Biden administration’s incompetence and weak policies,” Leavitt said.
But Trump has come under criticism for saying that Jews who vote for Vice President Kamala Harris “should have their head examined” and that Jews who support Democrats “hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves.”
Harris paid tribute to the victims of the October 7 attack by planting a memorial tree at her residence in Washington, D.C.
“I will never forget October 7, and the world must never forget,” Harris said. “We must work to ensure nothing like the horrors of October 7 can ever happen again. And on this solemn day, I will restate my pledge to always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, and that I will always work to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people here and around the world.”
She also said “we must work to relieve the immense suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza who have experienced so much pain and loss over the year.”
Harris has sought to win support of Muslim and Arab American leaders but has faced wrath from some of them over the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
Pope Francis’s letter did not specifically address soaring antisemitism, as he has in the past since the war began, including in a February letter to Jews in Israel in which he wrote: “The Church…. rejects every form of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred towards Jews and Judaism as a sin against God.
“Together with you, we, Catholics, are very concerned about the terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world. We had hoped that 'never again' would be a refrain heard by the new generations,” the February letter stated.
Meanwhile, two prominent prelates, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn, condemned antisemitism and pleaded for peace.
“The worry of these days is not confined to the Middle East,” Dolan and Brennan said in a statement. “Right here in New York and around the globe, we note with great anxiety the troubling rise in antisemitism. Allow us to say unambiguously to our Jewish friends here in New York and around the world that you are not alone.
“Too often in the past,” the statement continued, “we Catholics have failed to stand with you against hatred and antisemitism. Shame on us for those times! We join now with religious leaders from all faiths pledging that we will not tolerate antisemitism in any form. May the God of peace and justice bring true and lasting peace to Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, the Holy Land, and the entire Middle East.”
In the U.S., antisemitic incidents have risen to 10,000 from October 7, 2023 through September 30, 2024, more than double the number in the same period a year earlier, and the highest since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking such incidents in 1979.
The ADL reported that the incidents included antisemitic bomb threats against synagogues, assaults against Jewish students on college campuses and harassment of Jews in communities across the U.S. and online.
A separate report found that about 3.5 million American Jews — about a third of the U.S. Jewish population — have been the target of some form of antisemitism since October 7, 2023.
The report, by the global organization Combat Antisemitism Movement, said its national survey of nearly 1,110 American Jews show that many had changed their behavior as a result of fear of antisemitism in the past year: 27% now avoid displaying their Jewish identity in the workplace and 25% of those affiliated with a Jewish organization or synagogue report that their institution has been targeted with graffiti, threats, or attacks since October 7. 21% say local businesses have been targeted by antisemitic vandals in the same period, and 18% felt uncomfortable or unsafe in the workplace because of their Jewish identity.
Meanwhile, the London-based Community Security Trust, a Jewish organization, reported 5,583 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK from October 7, 2023, through September 30, 2024. That marks the highest number of antisemitic incidents since the organization began tracking them in 1984. The incidents included antisemitic threats, hate speech, violence and damage to Jewish institutions and property.
Antisemitism has also surged in Germany over the past year, according to RAIS, which tracks antisemitic incidents in that country. The incidents rose from an average of seven per day to 32 per day in the past year, RAIS said, and have included graffiti on homes, anti-Jewish slogans at demonstrations and open hostility on the streets, as well as arson attacks and assaults.
Yaron Sideman, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See, told OSV News on October 4: “No country craves for peace more than Israel. However, one cannot make peace with a country or a group that calls for your destruction and elimination. One cannot have peace with those who do not recognize your basic, fundamental right to exist as a people and as a state.”
Sideman said he was certain that “when conditions are right,” the Israeli government “will be willing to make further sacrifices for peace, the noblest of goals.”
(An earlier version of this story did not include the first name of Yaron Sideman, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See. The Catholic Observer regrets the error.)