Pope meets with Israeli hostages freed from Gaza – Vatican News | CPT PPP Coverage
Cryptopolytech (CPT) Public Press Pass (PPP)
News of the Day COVERAGE
200000048 – World Newser
•| #World |•| #Online |•| #Media |•| #Outlet |
View more Headlines & Breaking News here, as covered by cryptopolytech.com
Pope meets with Israeli hostages freed from Gaza – Vatican News appeared on www.vaticannews.va by Vatican News.
Men, women and children held hostage by Hamas meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican. The Israeli embassy to the Holy See describes the meeting as “moving”, saying it “showed the Pope’s closeness to the victims”.
By Salvatore Cernuzio
After enduring months in captivity in Gaza, a group of Israeli hostages, abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were received by Pope Francis in the Vatican this morning.
Sixteen people—ten women, four men, and two children – attended the meeting.
One of the attendees presented the Pope with a football shirt bearing the name of Tal Shoham, a family member taken hostage alongside his wife, children, mother-in-law, and other relatives.
Pope Francis received the football shirt
Some of them were later released as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.
Several participants held signs displaying the faces and names of their missing or captive family members, with inscriptions such as “Bring him home.”
Pope Francis touched each image as a gesture of blessing and paused in silent prayer.
The Israeli Embassy to the Holy See described the encounter as “moving”, adding that it “showed the Pope’s closeness to the victims of that horrible day and his commitment to their release”.
The meeting in the Vatican
The Pope’s appeals for peace
Since the October 7 attacks, Pope Francis has consistently used his public addresses to call for the urgent release of hostages taken in the assault, urging a ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian access to those affected. He has emphasized these actions as necessary steps toward resolving the devastating conflict, which erupted after the Hamas-led attack that resulted in over 1,100 deaths and the kidnapping of 240 people, including women, the elderly, and children.
Earlier in the year, on April 8, Pope Francis met with relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. On November 22, 2023, he received both the families of Israeli hostages and a delegation of Palestinians with loved ones suffering amid the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to the latest figures from Gaza’s health ministry, over 43,700 casualties have resulted from relentless Israeli strikes. Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, noted that on that occasion the Pope sought to express “spiritual solidarity with the suffering of all involved.”
On October 17, the Pope also held a private audience with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa, joined by a delegation of peace activists. Describing the meeting as “important and moving,” both leaders said that Pope Francis showed extraordinary concern for peace efforts in the Middle East.
FEATURED ‘News of the Day’, as reported by public domain newswires.
View ALL Headlines & Breaking News here.
Source Information (if available)
This article originally appeared on www.vaticannews.va by Vatican News – sharing via newswires in the public domain, repeatedly. News articles have become eerily similar to manufacturer descriptions.
We will happily entertain any content removal requests, simply reach out to us. In the interim, please perform due diligence and place any content you deem “privileged” behind a subscription and/or paywall.
CPT (CryptoPolyTech) PPP (Public Press Pass) Coverage features stories and headlines you may not otherwise see due to the manipulation of mass media.
First to share? If share image does not populate, please close the share box & re-open or reload page to load the image, Thanks!