Pope calls situation in Gaza 'shameful'

Pope Francis today called the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip “very serious and shameful”, Reuters reported.

In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in Gaza as a result of Israel’s siege, the lack of fuel and the dire living conditions Palestinians have been forced to live under for over 15 months as Israel continues its genocidal bombing campaign.

“We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians,” the text said.

“We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country’s energy network has been hit.”

The pope, 88, who was present for the address but asked an aide to read it as he is recovering from a cold, also condemned anti-Semitism; called for an end to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts around the world; and expressed concern over climate change.

The comments were part of an address to Vatican-accredited envoys from some 184 countries that is sometimes called the pope’s “state of the world” speech. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See was among those present for the event.

Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, has recently been more outspoken about Israel’s military campaign against Palestinians, and has suggested the global community should study whether the offensive constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

An Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff in December for that suggestion.

The pope also addressed conflicts in places including Sudan, Mozambique, Myanmar and Nicaragua and reiterated his frequent calls for action to confront the impacts of global climate change, and the spread of misinformation on social media.

Pope Francis on Gaza: ‘This is cruelty, not war’