The death of Pope Francis has triggered global reactions with messages of condolences coming from political and religious leaders. However, the almost complete silence from the Israeli government authorities has drawn powerful attention. Only the President of the state, Isaac Herzog, issued a message expressing his condolences to the Catholic world and wishing that “his memory inspires acts of kindness and hope for humanity.”
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On the contrary, from the government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar chose not to make any statements or release any communications regarding the death of the Catholic leader, a gesture that has been interpreted as a deliberate decision.
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Why did the government of Israel not send condolences for the death of Francisco?
The reasons behind the Israeli government’s actions are no secret and are related to the Pope’s statements on the conflict in Palestine and the war in Gaza, according to an article from The Jerusalem Post.
During the past year, Francisco had stated about the conflict that “it is not a war, it is cruelty”, and blamed Israel for “bombing children and riddling them with machine guns”. In another statement, he claimed that “what is happening in Gaza has characteristics of genocide”.
These statements caused discomfort among Israeli authorities, who have not hidden their disagreement with the pontiff’s position. However, within the Israeli diplomatic apparatus itself, critical voices emerged that questioned the decision to remain silent after his death.
One of those who spoke out against it was Raphael Schutz, former Israeli ambassador to the Vatican, who held the position until mid-last year. In statements to The Jerusalem Post, Schutz expressed: “I believe the decision is a mistake. We should not bring up these kinds of accounts after someone’s death.”
The diplomat added that the Pope’s statements, although controversial, should have been responded to at the time, but that “now we are not only talking about a head of state, but also about a spiritual leader for more than a billion people, almost 20% of humanity. I don’t think silence conveys the right message."
Israel wrote and deleted a message of condolences: why?
In an incident that caused even more confusion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefly posted messages on the Israeli government’s social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and X) with the following text: “Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing.” However, these posts were deleted shortly after, which increased the controversy and attracted media attention.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the ministry justified the deletion by claiming that “the tweet and messages were posted by mistake. We responded to the pope’s statements against Israel and war during his life, and we will not do so after his death. We respect the feelings of his followers.”.
It is also not clear whether Israel will send a representative to the funeral of Pope Francis, which will take place on Saturday morning at the Vatican.