Hamas never misses an opportunity to spread its aims. Some might say that Hamas’s message of condolences for Pope Francis was just an attempt by terrorists to be relevant in the eyes of the world and score propaganda points. But we should not dismiss Hamas’s words of appreciation towards Pope Francis. Unfortunately, they point towards the late Pope’s anti-Israel stance and should serve as a warning to his successor and those who look to the Pope as an example.
In Pope Francis’s final sermon on Sunday before his death, he appealed to “the warring parties” to “call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.” Firstly, the Palestinian people are not starving, despite what advocates in the media claim. Secondly, the majority of Gazans support Hamas whose idea of so-called peace is the eradication of the State of Israel.
But his final statement before he died was only the ‘tip of the iceberg’. Pope Francis’s Palestinian appeasement during his papacy showed weakness to Hamas and bias against Israel.
Equating the actions of Israel and Hamas.
In November 2023, only one month after the October 7th terrorist attacks, Pope Francis broke Vatican protocol by using terminology referring to Israel’s actions – not Hamas – as “terrorism”. Francis had met with hostage relatives earlier in the week as well as separately 10 Palestinians affected by the war. During his general audience in St. Peter’s Square, camera’s filmed people in VIP seats wearing Palestinian scarves and holding up posters showing bodies with “Genocide” underneath.
His direct quote to the crowds was this: “They suffer so much and I heard how they both suffer. Wars do that. But here we’ve gone beyond war. This isn’t war anymore, this is terrorism.”
He then said, “Please, let’s go forward for peace. Please pray for peace. Pray a lot for peace.”
He also asked for God to help both Israeli and Palestinian people “resolve problems and not go ahead with passions that are killing everyone in the end.”
Immediately after he said this, the crowd started to applaud. The camera then switched to Palestinian families (activists) who were holding up signs depicting dead bodies and the words “Genocide” and “Nakba” as well as one who was holding up the famous four picture map that allegedly shows Israel stealing Palestinian land.
Members of the Palestinian delegation that met Pope Francis that week said they were stunned by his deep knowledge of the toll the war has taken on the people of Gaza and said he used the term “genocide” to describe it during their private meeting.
Whilst this claim by the Palestinian delegation cannot be verified, in November 2024 excerpts released from a book of interviews with Francis included a call by the pontiff to investigate whether Israel’s campaign against the Hamas “fits into the technical definition” of genocide.
The Israeli relatives, meanwhile, thanked Pope Francis for receiving them but some expressed dismay that he didn’t have more time to hear from all members of the delegation. They also questioned his use of the term “terrorism” without saying who had committed it.
In a November 2023 call with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, Francis reportedly said it is “forbidden to respond to terror with terror.”
Similarly in his December 2024 Christmas address to cardinals, Pope Francis said regarding Israel’s actions: “Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty. This is not war.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded: “Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them,” the Foreign Ministry says in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the pope has chosen to ignore all of this, as well as the fact that Israel’s actions have targeted terrorists who used children as human shields.”
“The pope’s remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel’s fight against jihadist terrorism — a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7.”
“The death of any innocent person in a war is a tragedy. Israel makes extraordinary efforts to prevent harm to innocents, while Hamas makes extraordinary efforts to increase harm to Palestinian civilians.
“The blame should be directed solely at the terrorists, not at the democracy defending itself against them. Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people,” the Foreign Ministry added.
Pope Francis recognised a Palestinian state
The conflict in Gaza was not the only area where Pope Francis showed a bias against Israel. The Vatican gave full recognition to a Palestinian state in 2015, and in November 2017 it opened a Palestinian embassy in the Vatican, which was inaugurated by Mahmoud Abbas. Days after the Pope Francis met Abbas in the Vatican, he described Abbas as “an angel of peace” who would destroy a “spirit of war.”
Opposition to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
One year later, the Pope voiced opposition to the United States’ proposal to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital and open a US embassy there. With President Trump’s plan in motion, in December 2017 Pope Francis appealed: “I make a heartfelt appeal so that all commit themselves to respecting the status quo of the city, in conformity with the pertinent resolutions of the United Nations.”
The Pope told thousands of people at his general audience: “I cannot keep quiet about my deep worry about the situation that has been created in the last few days.”
Underlying issue
Anti-Israel bias is not exclusive to Pope Francis or the Catholic Church. The impact of Replacement Theology has set root across the Christian spectrum. That is why the compromises demonstrated by Pope Francis can not be viewed as simply taking a political angle. In December 2024, the Pope blessed a nativity scene on display at the Vatican in which a pro-Palestinian artist had draped the baby Jesus in a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf adopted by Palestinians as a symbol of ‘liberation’ against Israel. It was finally removed after a backlash. But herein lies a deeper problem that the next Pope will be confronted with – or may even an advocate for: replacement theology. And particularly replacement theology in the form of ‘liberation theology’ – a theology adopted by pro-Palestinian Christians and non-Christians alike that attempts to “de-judify” Jesus in favour of a Palestinian Jesus to achieve their anti-Israel political aims.
There are around 1.3 billion Catholics on earth today, clearly demonstrating the impact of the Pope’s leadership, and as we have seen since Pope Francis’s death, many non-Catholics are influenced by the papacy also. It is important therefore now more than ever that Christians stand on what the Bible says about Israel to ensure that our position on Israel is shaped by God’s Word and not man’s opinions or theology.
