Today, Tuesday, Pope Leo
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin described the attack launched by the Hamas movement on October 7, 2023 on Israel as “inhumane and indefensible,” and stressed that he is praying for the hostages who are still being held.
The cardinal said in an interview with Vatican media that the war between Hamas and Israel “had catastrophic and inhuman consequences,” expressing his shock at the daily death of “this large number of children, whose only sin seems to be that they were born there.”
He added: “We fear that we will become accustomed to this massacre.” “It is unacceptable and unjustified to reduce human beings to mere ‘collateral victims’.”
The Pope told reporters upon leaving his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome, “The Cardinal expressed the opinion of the Holy See very well.”
His words came in response to a question about the reaction of the Israeli embassy, which criticized the interview.
The embassy said in a post on the “X” platform that the interview “focuses on criticizing Israel, ignoring Hamas’ continued refusal to release the hostages or end the violence.”
She denounced that “the word ‘massacre’ applies at the same time to the Hamas attack on October 7, and to Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself.” She added: “There is no moral equality between a democratic state that protects its citizens and a terrorist organization that seeks to kill them. We hope that future statements will reflect this important difference.”
Pope Leo XIV also spoke of “two very painful years (…) with this terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 people” on the Israeli side.
He continued: “Then, within two years (…) we are talking about 67,000 Palestinians who were killed, and this makes us think about the amount of violence and evil that a person can commit.” He added: “We must reduce hatred, return to dialogue, and seek peaceful solutions.”
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza in response to the attack led to the death of at least 67,160 Palestinians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health in the Strip.
