Rome’s chief rabbi has sharply criticised Pope Francis over the pontiff’s recent ramping-up of criticism against Israel’s war in Gaza in an unusually forceful speech during an annual Catholic-Jewish dialogue.
Riccardo Di Segni, spiritual leader of Rome’s Jewish community since 2001, said Francis had unfairly focused his attention on Israel compared with other ongoing world conflicts, including those in Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia.
“Selective indignation … weakens the pope’s strength,” Di Segni said.
“A pope cannot divide the world into children and stepchildren and must denounce the sufferings of all,” he said. “This is exactly what the pope does not do.”
Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, has recently been more outspoken about Israel’s war on Gaza. Last week, he called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “very serious and shameful”.