Vatican City – Pope Francis on Thursday called the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave “very serious and shameful,” reinforcing recent criticism of Israel's military operation in Gaza.
In his annual address to diplomats, delivered on his behalf by a close aide, Francis appeared to refer to the deaths caused by the cold winter weather in Gaza, where there is little electricity.
“Bombing civilians is never acceptable,” the document said.
“We cannot accept the fact that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed and the country's energy grid has been hit.”
The 88-year-old pope attended the speech, but asked an aide to read it as he was recovering from a cold, and also condemned anti-Semitism. He called for an end to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts around the world. and expressed concern about climate change.
The comments were part of the pope's address to the Vatican's authorized envoys to some 184 countries, also known as his “State of the World” address. The event was also attended by the Ambassador to Israel.
Francis, the leader of the 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, has always been wary of taking sides in disputes.
But he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military operations against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, suggesting the international community should study whether the attacks amount to genocide against Palestinians.
Israeli government ministers publicly criticized the pope for the proposal in December.
In the document, the Pope condemned anti-Semitism and said the growth of anti-Semitic groups was a “source of deep concern.”
Francis also called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has killed tens of thousands of people.
“My wish for 2025 is above all that the entire international community strives to end a conflict that has caused so much bloodshed for almost three years,” he said.
The Pope also touched on conflicts in countries such as Sudan, Mozambique, Myanmar and Nicaragua, and frequently called for action to combat the effects of global climate change and the spread of misinformation on social media.
