Rome's chief rabbi criticizes Pope: Selective outrage endangers peace!

Rome's chief rabbi criticizes Pope: Selective outrage endangers peace!

Rome's Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni has sharply attacked Pope Francis for his harsher criticism of Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip. During a Catholic-Jewish dialogue event at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, Di Segni said that the Pope was treating Israel unfairly and speaking in a way that did not do justice to other global conflicts such as Sudan or Yemen. "Selective outrage weakens the pope's strength. A pope cannot divide the world into children and stepchildren and must denounce the suffering of all," the rabbi said loudly kathpress.at.

Francis has recently increasingly described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “very serious and shameful” and called for peace and an improvement in the situation of the civilian population. But critics fear that the repeated accusations against Israel will reinforce anti-Jewish prejudices. Di Segni pointed out that the Pope also speaks daily on the phone with the priest of Gaza, but there was no mention of how often he is in contact with representatives of other crisis areas. This raises the question of whether the Catholic Church is maintaining a balanced perspective in its reporting on the conflict today-news.eu.

The rabbi emphasized that the conflict, which has been raging since October 7, 2023, not only affects the civilian population, but also weakens relations between the Jewish and Christian communities. The increasing polarization over views on Israel could have long-term effects on interreligious dialogue. Di Segni concluded his remarks by asking how the church helps avoid one-sided narratives and promote inclusive discussion.