Pope Francis, a voice for Gaza that never became silent

KARACHI: The death of Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, has sent shockwaves of grief around the world. He will always be remembered for his simplicity, love of humanity and promotion of interfaith dialogue.

Pope Francis played an unprecedented role in supporting the Muslims and Christians of Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. He had been in contact by phone every night since October 9, 2023, with the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where more than 600 people, mostly Muslims, were sheltering. He would ask about their well-being and pray for everyone. He continued this contact even when he was in the hospital with pneumonia in February 2025. Father Gabriel Romanelli, a priest in Gaza, said that the Pope called every day to instruct on the protection of children and the help of people.

In November 2023, he called for an investigation into allegations of genocide against Israel in Gaza. In his last message, the Pope called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Easter and the release of all Israeli hostages. Pope Francis condemned Hamas and Israeli attacks during the war and called for an immediate ceasefire and a two-state solution. The Pope had openly condemned the Israeli bombing of Gaza. In November 2024, he called for an investigation into possible genocide in Gaza in his book Hope Never Disappoints.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf countries remembered him as a great leader of tolerance and dialogue. According to Arab News, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent messages of condolences on the Pope’s death and praised his peace agenda. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said, “Today we lost a loyal friend of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.” According to him, Pope Francis had recognized the Palestinian state and allowed the Palestinian flag to be raised in the Vatican. The Pope was seen as a voice of peace in countries like Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq. He invited Palestinian and Israeli leaders to a peace prayer event at the Vatican in 2014, a historic move. Not only Christians but also leaders of the Muslim world are mourning the death of Pope Francis. He is being remembered with titles such as a voice for the voiceless, an advocate for refugees, a bridge builder between religions, and a sympathizer of the marginalized. Pope Francis had taken historic steps to promote interfaith harmony. In 2019, he signed the Human Fraternity Document with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in the United Arab Emirates, a manifesto for global peace and religious freedom. The document emphasized the shared values of Islam and Christianity. In 2021, he met with Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Iraq.