"Selective indignation"

Sharp rebuke for Pope over criticism of Israel

Pope Francis has been accused of "selective indignation". Yet in his Christmas sermon, he did mention numerous trouble spots and the victims suffering there. He also prayed for the Hamas hostages.(Bild: AP/The Associated Press)

Pope Francis has been sharply reprimanded by Italy's chief rabbi for repeatedly criticizing Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip. Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni accuses the Argentinian of "selective indignation" and "reviving anti-Jewish sentiment".

Francis has unfairly focused his attention on Israel compared to other ongoing conflicts in the world, including those in Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia, Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Rome since 2001, said on Thursday at a meeting on the theme "Pilgrims of Hope" on the occasion of the 36th Day of Dialogue between Catholics and Jews in Rome.  

Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni(Bild: APA/AFP)

Priest dismayed by the rabbi's statements
"This is a moment in which it seems that the Church, or at least a part of it, is once again giving in to the temptation to burn bridges with Judaism. The war that has been raging since October 7, 2023, also has Jewish-Christian dialog among its collateral victims," lamented the rabbi, who also spoke of the "revival" and "strengthening of anti-Jewish sentiments".

One of the organizers of the event, the Catholic priest Marco Gnavi, was surprised by Di Segni's comments. "You cannot ask us to suffer with you and not with others," the priest said, addressing Di Segni.

Francis: "The situation in Gaza is shameful"
Francis, the head of the 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, has recently spoken out increasingly about Israel's military action against the militant Palestinian group Hamas. Last week, he described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "very serious and shameful".