Pope Francis decried on Saturday the “terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world” and the rise in anti-Semitism since the Gaza conflict began on October 7.
“We, Catholics, are very concerned about the terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world,” the pope wrote in a letter addressed to “My Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel” and released by the Vatican on Saturday.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza has resulted in “divisive attitudes in public opinion worldwide and divisive positions, sometimes taking the form of anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism,” Francis stated.
“We had hoped that ‘never again’ would be a refrain heard by the new generations, yet now we see that the path ahead requires ever closer collaboration to eradicate these phenomena,” he went on to say.
He also asked prayers “especially for the return of hostages” held by Hamas since the extraordinary October 7 onslaught on Israel, which killed around 1,160 people, the majority of whom were civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli numbers.
Militants also took approximately 250 hostages, and Israel claims that 132 remain in Gaza, with at least 27 suspected to have been slain.
Israel launched a massive military attack in Gaza, vowing to eradicate Hamas, killing at least 27,238 Palestinians, the majority of them were women and children, according to the health ministry.