Pope Francis Called for Middle East Peace. We Should Listen | Opinion

Pope Francis welcomed the New Year by thundering against the ongoing war in the Middle East. Last week, in his annual “State of the World” speech to diplomats, he condemned Israel’s 15-month-long military campaign in Palestine. “We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians. We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country’s energy network has been hit,” the ailing Catholic leader stated. This remark followed news that Israel has continued bombing hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank, as others face imminent closure due to the war. Freezing temperatures are adding to an already untenable humanitarian catastrophe.

Anti-war messages are not new territory for the pontiff. This past Christmas, the Vatican’s Nativity scene had a newborn Jesus resting in a manger while wrapped in a keffiyeh—considered a symbol of pro-Palestinian activism. The scene, carved in wood from olive trees, was designed by Palestinian artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, both natives of Bethlehem. In the context of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the region, the optics could not have been more powerful and damning.

The 266th head of the Catholic Church called for peace in the Middle East—a routine request from his predecessors. But Pope Francis went one step further, ensuring his message was crystal clear:

Let us remember the brothers and sisters who…are suffering from the tragedy of war. With tears in our eyes, let us raise our prayer for peace. Brothers and sisters, enough war, enough violence! Do you know that one of the most profitable investments here is in arms production?

The State of the World speech followed an equally unprecedented intervention in December, in which the pope called for an investigation of Israel’s war against Palestinians, stating: “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”

One reason Pope Francis is taking such a bold (and controversial) stance is that the protection of Christians is at stake in the ongoing conflict.

Prejudice, discrimination, and the persecution of Christian people (ranging from hostility to violence) remains alarmingly high around the world. This problem is particularly heightened in Palestine, home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, where religious buildings are routinely destroyed. For example, the Israeli military bombed the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius—Gaza’s oldest church, consecrated in 1150—in October 2023. Over 200 Christians and Muslims were sheltering from the war, seeking sanctuary in the church. The Israeli airstrike killed 18 civilians and injured many more. This is aside from the unlawful persecution of individual Christians. Today, some estimates suggest that there are only 800 Christians left in Palestine—under the frightening threat of extinction.

Pope Francis is right. Speaking as a Catholic, how can any of us pride ourselves in our faith if we ignore the destruction of ancient churches and the persecution of fellow believers?

Today’s targeting of Christians is harrowing. A shameful example is the persecution of Palestinian graduate student and Anglican Christian Layan Nasir, who was released from administrative detention in Israel in early December. She was taken from her parents’ home, at gunpoint, in April. There were no arrest warrants or even charges brought against her. Like thousands of her countrypeople, Nasir was incarcerated for eight months without charge, without trial, without contact with loved ones, and without any plausible access to justice. Her case drew international attention—with the then-archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, declaring that “The widespread and routine manner in which Israel uses administrative detention of Palestinians as an instrument of Occupation is deeply discriminatory. It cannot be legally or morally justified.”

Christian churches of other denominations also showed support for Layan and advocated for her release.

Last month, Dr. Munther Isaac, a Palestinian author and Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem, posed a challenging question on social media: “When Americans on Christmas sing ‘Oh Little Town of Bethlehem’, do they realize that their tax money and elected officials are contributing towards driving Christians out of the ‘little town of Bethlehem?'”

Munter has long pointed out that if Jesus were born today, it would be in the war-torn rubble of a besieged Palestine.

Pope Francis’ repeated calls for peace and the Nativity scene displayed at the Vatican should have unified people across political divides around the utmost importance of protecting everybody from religious persecution. Both religious and non-religious people who support freedom of speech and freedom of belief should advocate for the protection of Christians in Palestine, and call for an end to the senseless obliteration of holy sites and the unbearable killing of Palestinians.

The protection of innocent people, both to live and to believe in peace, should be a nonpartisan issue.

Raquel Rosario Sánchez is a writer, researcher, and campaigner from the Dominican Republic.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.