Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz of the Inter-Religious Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has written to Pope Leo XIV to complain about rhetoric he has used to describe Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas.

Last month, the Pope accused Israel of an “attack” on a Catholic church in Gaza, implying that it was hit on purpose, after the Israeli military concluded that the church had been accidentally hit by a misfired munition.

Last week, at a large gathering for the Jubilee of Youth in Rome, the Pope concluded: “We are closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils, which are caused by other human beings. We are with the young people of Gaza. We are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war.” He did not mention the young people

See Full Page