Israel will not send a senior representative to Pope Francis' funeral

Israel will not send a senior representative to Pope Francis' funeral Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 04/25/2025 - 12:17 Israel's response to the death of the pontiff, who was a critic of the war on Gaza, has been muted Nuns read through the L'Osservatore Romano newspaper in Rome on 25 April 2025 (AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff) Off Israel is sending only its ambassador to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, as its response to the Catholic leader's death remains muted.According to Haaretz, the Catholic Church in Jerusalem and the Israeli Catholic community have expressed disappointment at the decision, which stems from the pope's repeated expressions of support for the Palestinian people.A senior church official in Israel told Haaretz that the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem is "a man who is very much aware of what's going on, and it must have reached the heads of the church".The pope's funeral, set to take place on Saturday, is expected to be attended by a range of world leaders. The absence of Israeli officials stands in contrast to the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, which was attended by Israel’s president, foreign minister, Supreme Court judges and the chief rabbinate.The controversy comes after the Israeli government posted and then deleted condolences for the pope. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In several now-deleted posts, accounts belonging to the Israeli foreign ministry in various countries mourned the pontiff’s death on X, writing: "Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing."Foreign ministry officials speaking to The Jerusalem Post later said that the messages had been "posted in error". 'We didn't hear his voice': Gaza's churches fall silent after death of Pope Francis Read More »"We responded to the pope’s statements against Israel and the war during his lifetime, and we will not do so after his death. We respect the feelings of his believers," they said.Other prominent Israeli officials, notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were silent amid the worldwide mourning. Meanwhile, some officials, including the former ambassador to Italy, Dror Idar, said no representatives should attend the pope's funeral on Saturday because he "incited antisemitism".Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88, was an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian people during Israel’s ongoing 18-month assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.Thousands of pro-Palestinian social media users, including many from Gaza, have paid tributes to him.In his final Easter Sunday address, delivered from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza.An aide read out a benediction in which the pontiff condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” caused by Israel’s war - a statement widely praised on social media.Meanwhile, the Vatican’s announcement of his passing on Monday morning was met in Israel with a mix of celebration and criticism, as politicians, commentators and social media users focused on his condemnation of the war. Diplomacy News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

is sending only its ambassador to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, as its response to the Catholic leader's death remains muted. According to Haaretz, the Catholic Church in Jerusalem and the Israeli Catholic community have expressed disappointment at the decision, which stems from the pope's repeated expressions of support for the people. A senior church official in Israel told Haaretz that the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem is "a man who is very much aware of what's going on, and it must have reached the heads of the church".

The pope's funeral, set to take place on Saturday, is expected to be attended by a range of world leaders. The absence of Israeli officials stands in contrast to the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, which was attended by Israel’s president, foreign minister, Supreme Court judges and the chief rabbinate. The controversy comes after the Israeli government posted and then deleted condolences for the pope.

In several now-deleted posts, accounts belonging to the Israeli foreign ministry in various countries mourned the pontiff’s death on X, writing: "Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing." Foreign ministry officials speaking to The Jerusalem Post later said that the messages had been "posted in error".

"We responded to the pope’s statements against Israel and the war during his lifetime, and we will not do so after his death. We respect the feelings of his believers," they said. Other prominent Israeli officials, notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were silent amid the worldwide mourning.

Meanwhile, some officials, including the former ambassador to Italy, Dror Idar, said no representatives should attend the pope's funeral on Saturday because he "incited antisemitism". Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88, was an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian people during Israel’s ongoing 18-month assault on the besieged Gaza Strip. Thousands of pro-Palestinian social media users, including many from Gaza, have paid tributes to him.

In his final Easter Sunday address, delivered from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza. An aide read out a benediction in which the pontiff condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” caused by Israel’s war - a statement widely praised on social media. Meanwhile, the Vatican’s announcement of his passing on Monday morning was met in Israel with a mix of celebration and criticism, as politicians, commentators and social media users focused on his condemnation of the war.

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