The Vatican released a letter from Pope Francis to his “Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel” on Saturday, explicitly condemning antisemitism and all forms of anti-Jewish hatred, stating his “heart is torn” at the “unprecedented violence.”
“The path that the church has walked with you, the ancient people of the covenant, rejects every form of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred toward Jews and Judaism as a sin against God,” the pontiff’s letter read. It continues, “We had hoped that ‘never again’ would be a refrain heard by the new generations, yet now we see that the path ahead requires ever closer collaboration to eradicate these phenomena.”
Additionally, Francis, 87, called for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He stated, “My heart is close to you, to the Holy Land, to all the peoples who inhabit it, Israelis and Palestinians, and I pray that the desire for peace may prevail in all.”