Leo, history’s first American pope, was interrupted twice by applause during his weekly general audience in the Vatican’s auditorium as he appealed for both sides and international powers to halt the 22-month war and free remaining captives.
“I beg for a permanent ceasefire to be reached, the safe entry of humanitarian aid to be facilitated and humanitarian law to be fully respected,” he said, citing obligations to protect civilians and “the prohibition of collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population.”
Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for an expanded offensive in some of the most populated areas, including Gaza City, where famine has been documented and declared.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will launch the operation while simultaneously pursuing a ceasefire, though Israel has yet to send a negotiating team to discuss the proposal on the table.
He argues the offensive is the best way to weaken Hamas and return hostages; families of captives and their supporters say it will further endanger them.
Leo also called for the release of hostages taken by Hamas in southern Israel. Hamas seized 251 people on October 7, 2023, in an attack that also killed about 1,200 and triggered the war. Most hostages have been freed in previous ceasefires or other deals; Israel has rescued eight alive.
Of the 50 still in Gaza, Israeli officials believe around 20 are alive.
The pope highlighted a joint statement by the Latin and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem announcing that priests and nuns from both churches in Gaza City will remain despite Israeli evacuation orders ahead of the offensive.
They said those sheltering in the churches are too weak and malnourished to move and that leaving would be a “death sentence.”
The Holy Family Catholic church and the Saint Porphyrius Orthodox church have sheltered hundreds of civilians during the war, including elderly people, women, children and people with disabilities.
Pope Francis, even during his final days in the hospital, stayed in daily touch with the Holy Family parish priest to offer solidarity and support; the nuns of Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity are caring for those there.
In their statement, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III noted Leo’s weekend remarks affirming the right of people to remain in their homelands.
“All peoples, even the smallest and weakest, must be respected by the powerful in their identity and rights, especially the right to live in their own lands; and no one can force them into exile,” Leo said on Saturday.
Netanyahu has said Gaza’s population should be relocated to other countries through what his government calls voluntary emigration.
Rights groups have objected, and Palestinians fear that even temporary departures would become permanent bans on return.
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Source: Associated Press, Vatican News, PBS