ANKARA (AA) — Pope Francis has called on the international community to “make every effort to stop this terrible escalation” after days of intense Israeli airstrikes killed hundreds in Lebanon. “I am saddened by the news coming out of Lebanon,” the pope said at his weekly general audience at the Vatican, voicing hope &#...
LONDON (AA) – Pope Francis on Monday voiced concern over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and prayed for an end to the war which is “devastating the lives of people in Israel and Palestine.” During his address at the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, the pontiff offered his consolation to the people [&hel...
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Grief and desperation have overtaken the Gaza Strip in a season that is usually marked by merriment, as Israel continues its unrelenting attacks on the besieged enclave, where one Palestinian Christian Ibrahim Al-Amash summarized the somber situation by saying: “There is no holiday spirit here in Gaza.” During...
VATICAN (AA) – A dispute has erupted over whether Pope Francis used the word “genocide” to describe the situation in Gaza during a meeting with Palestinians. Palestinian families whose relatives are being held in Israeli prisons met with the pontiff at his Vatican residence. “When we shared the stories of the families that have bee...
Vatican City, Holy See – AFP Pope Francis on Wednesday met separately with Israeli relatives of those held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, saying both sides “suffer so much”. At the end of his weekly audience at the Vatican, the 86-year-old pontiff called for prayers for peace, saying of both groups: “Th...
ATHENS (AA) – Pope Francis has expressed concern over the total siege of Gaza, saying the Middle East does not need war but peace, the official Vatican News agency reported on Wednesday. Referring exclusively to the Israeli lives, the Pope said, “I pray for those families who have seen a day of celebration turned into […]
