Pope Francis’ final speech called for ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza war

(JTA) — In his final public speech, delivered less than 24 hours before his death, Pope Francis addressed the war in Gaza, expressing sympathy for the Palestinian people and calling for an end to the war that includes the release of Israeli hostages.

Francis made the comments in his annual Easter speech, which an archbishop delivered while Francis was seated on the the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. His comments about the war in Gaza, which Israel and Hamas have been fighting since Oct. 7, 2023, echoed his earlier statements on the conflict:

I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible! From the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of the Resurrection, where this year Easter is being celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox on the same day, may the light of peace radiate throughout the Holy Land and the entire world. I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. The growing climate of anti-Semitism throughout the world is worrisome. Yet at the same time, I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation. I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!

Francis also drew attention to other regions at war around the world, including in Lebanon and Syria, which he noted is undergoing “a delicate transition in its history.” Recently, a small delegation of Jews visited Syria for the first time in decades, but fears are mounting about the status of religious minorities under the country’s new leadership.