By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The 87-year-old Pope said that hypocrisy always leads to “failure” adding that “dialogue must be the soul of the international community.”

Pope Francis slammed on Monday the arrogance of invaders in Ukraine and Palestine, only days after he called for a probe into genocide in Gaza. 

Marking the 40th anniversary of the peace treaty between Chile and Argentina at the Vatican, the pontiff railed on ongoing conflicts and arms trade and condemned the “hypocrisy of speaking about peace and playing at war.”

Pope Francis brought up two of the “failures” of humanity today, namely Ukraine and Palestine, where there is suffering and the arrogance of the occupier undermines dialogue.

Without directly naming Russia or Israel, the Pontiff told diplomats at the Vatican that “the arrogance of the invader prevails over dialogue,” according to Agence France Presse (AFP).

The 87-year-old Pope said that hypocrisy always leads to “failure” adding that “dialogue must be the soul of the international community.”

Jubilee 2025 – Pope Francis Calls for Investigation into ‘Genocide’ in Gaza

Genocide Probe

In a book written ahead of the Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Francis called for an investigation into the devastating situation in Gaza, describing the dire need for action to address the suffering of its people. 

The book, titled Hope Never Disappoints. Pilgrims Towards a Better World, elves into global issues of war, displacement, and the search for hope, with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza taking center stage in several passages.

“In the Middle East, where the open doors of nations like Jordan or Lebanon continue to be a salvation for millions of people fleeing conflicts in the region,” he writes, “I am thinking above all of those who leave Gaza in the midst of the famine that has struck their Palestinian brothers and sisters given the difficulty of getting food and aid into their territory.”  

The pontiff raises concerns about whether the unfolding events in Gaza may meet the criteria for genocide. 

“According to some experts,” Pope Francis notes, “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”

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Genocide Continues

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza. 

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,211 Palestinians have been killed, and 104,567 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’. 

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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children. 

 The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.  

(PC, Agencies)