By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -The Vatican’s top diplomat sharply criticised Israel’s “ongoing massacre” in Gaza in comments published on Monday – one of the Catholic Church’s strongest condemnations of Israel’s war against the militant group Hamas.
In an interview tied to the second anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, Cardinal Pietro Parolin also called those attacks “inhuman and indefensible” and urged Hamas to free remaining hostages.
“Those who are attacked have a right to defend themselves, but even legitimate defence must respect the principle of proportionality,” said Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state and one of Pope Leo’s top deputies.
“The war waged by the Israeli army to eliminate Hamas militants disregards the fact that it is targeting a largely defenceless population, already pushed to the brink, in an area where buildings and homes are reduced to rubble,” he said.
“It is … clear that the international community is, unfortunately, powerless and that the countries truly capable of exerting influence have so far failed to act to stop the ongoing massacre,” Parolin told the Vatican’s media outlets.
ISRAELI RESPONSE
Israel’s embassy to the Holy See called Parolin’s interview “surely well-intentioned”, but lamented that it “focuses on criticizing Israel while overlooking Hamas’ continued refusal to release hostages or stop the violence”.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the embassy said it was “problematic” to use the word “massacre” to describe both the Hamas attack and Israel’s response to it, adding that there could be “no moral equivalence” between the two sides.
The Vatican, which has embassies in many capitals, normally uses guarded language in addressing conflicts, preferring to avoid press coverage and operate behind the scenes.
But Leo, elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has been stepping up criticism of Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
He has urged Israel to let in more aid and raised Gaza in a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in September.
Parolin added: “It’s not enough to say that what is happening is unacceptable and then continue to allow it to happen.
“We must seriously ask ourselves about the legitimacy … of continuing to supply weapons that are being used against civilians.” He did not name any countries.
Israel attacked Gaza after the Hamas-led attack in 2023 in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s campaign has killed more than 67,000 in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Crispian Balmer)
