Pope Francis and the Jewish People

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Pope Francis and have expressed condolences to my Catholic friends.

The first time I met him was a few days after his inauguration as the 266th Pope, on March 19th, 2013. It was my turn in the long line of ambassadors from around the world to the Holy See waiting to shake the hands of the new Pope. He greeted me in Hebrew with “Shalom.” I shook his hand and invited him to visit Israel.

“Perhaps,” he answered. At the end of our conversation, he said, “Pray for me.”

“I will,” I replied, surprised by the request from the head of the Catholic Church to the ambassador of the Jewish State. The meeting was held in the Sala Regia, one of the most beautiful in the Apostolic Palace. It was the first of about a dozen meetings I had with the Pope during my time as Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See—mostly brief, either alone, with Israeli leaders, or with the diplomatic corps. I also accompanied him on his trip to Israel.

Pope Francis was a humble man who cared deeply about the poor, the refugees, the sick, and the elderly. He fought for peace and justice. He was a friend of the Jewish people, a persistent fighter against antisemitism and denial of the Holocaust. He was an advocate of Jewish-Catholic dialogue. He repeatedly emphasized that the Holocaust must be remembered so that such atrocities are never repeated. During his visit to Yad Vashem, he kissed the hands of Holocaust survivors who attended the event. I felt this was a stunning gesture of humility and respect to the survivors. He once told me jokingly: “They say that in the Vatican, I meet more Jewish groups than Catholic groups…”

The period before October 7, 2023, was rightly described by some as the “Golden Age” of Jewish-Catholic relations. Pope Francis’s relations with the Jewish community started long before he became Pope. While serving as a cardinal in Buenos Aires, he forged a friendly and affectionate relationship with the Jewish community of Argentina, especially with Rabbi Avraham Skorka. He visited a synagogue on several occasions, including Hanukkah and Slichot—the month of forgiveness prayers leading up to the high holidays—and co-authored a book with Rabbi Skorka, “On Heaven and Earth,” which addresses various faith-related issues. Pope Francis consistently expressed admiration and affection for the Jewish people, and he deeply believed in dialogue between faith communities. 

His visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome in January 2016, like those of his two predecessors, was both historic and complex. He paid tribute to the Holocaust survivors present and expressed opposition to antisemitism and violence committed in the name of religion. Some in the Jewish community later felt dissatisfaction with the omission of Israel in his remarks. Yet, for many others, the gesture of coming, of standing in solidarity with Rome’s Jewish community, and the Pope’s long-standing commitment to dialogue outweighed such an omission.

His relations with Israel were more complicated. They were generally based on the traditional Vatican position, supporting the two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians. He visited Israel officially in May 2014, like his two predecessors. Still, he was the first to visit Mount Herzl during his pilgrimage and lay a wreath at Herzl’s tomb, a gesture of significant theological and political importance. In a letter to Rabbi Skorka and later in a meeting with a Jewish group, he said that anybody who does not recognize Israel’s right to exist is an antisemite. He condemned terrorism often, including during his trip to Israel when he visited the memorial for victims of terrorism on Mount Herzl. 

Pope Francis also had much sympathy for the Palestinian people and their suffering, especially most recently that of the Catholic community in Gaza during the war. While his compassion for the plight of the Palestinian people was evident, his recognition of Israel’s right to exist in peace was equally strong. 

The war in Gaza was a negative turning point that, in the eyes of many in Israel, cast a shadow on their earlier positive feelings toward him. At the beginning of the war, a large group of Jewish leaders and scholars wrote him an open letter asking for a clear condemnation of the Hamas attack on Israel. His response addressed to the “Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel” included a call for the release of the hostages, condemnation of antisemitism, and reaffirmed the bond between the Catholic church and the Jews, but without a clear, direct condemnation of Hamas.

In an interview for a book published in 2024, he lamented the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, remarking about the latter that “according to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide. It would be necessary to investigate carefully to determine whether it fits within the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.” He later explained that he was not accusing Israel of genocide, but rather that it was a question deserving exploration. His comment was rightly met with angry reactions from Jewish leaders. 

During the war, he repeatedly called for the release of the hostages and met many times with their families. However, his criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza grew harsher over time. In a speech in November 2024, he referred to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as two failures of humanity, adding that the arrogance of the invader prevails over dialogue. For all those engaged in the Jewish-Catholic dialogue in recent years, this was an unfortunate turn of events. His comments, though later clarified, were seen by many as hurtful, especially given a lack of strong, explicit condemnation of Hamas, although he did condemn the atrocities of October 7th. 

The Pope especially expressed concern and anger about the civilian casualties in Gaza. Beginning shortly after the war started in October 2023, he initiated daily evening phone calls to Father Romanelli, the pastor of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, the only Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip. He extended his prayers, blessings, and encouragement. These calls continued almost every day until the Pope’s passing on April 21, 2025.

Adding to the distress of some was the inclusion of a Christmas display in the Vatican given by Palestinian-Christians of a figure of the infant Jesus covered by a keffiyeh. Although it was later removed, the display raised the question of whether it was some sort of endorsement of the polemical claim that Jesus should be understood as a Palestinian and not a Jew.

The fallout from this series of incidents has cast a shadow over decades of progress in Jewish-Catholic relations since 1965 and brought interfaith dialogue to a pause. The legacy of Pope Francis in Jewish-Catholic relations is a powerful one. Despite recent moments of tension, his sincerity, friendship, and interfaith vision are undeniable. His personal warmth, humility, and spiritual leadership left a lasting impact on all who met him, and on the relationship between our two ancient faiths. My encounters with Pope Francis always reflected his profound moral character, humility, and desire for interfaith understanding.

Focusing on the future, we all hope for the end of the war in Gaza, the return of the Israeli hostages, and the end of the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians. This would also have an immediate positive impact on Jewish-Catholic relations and relations between Israel and the Vatican. It is precisely because of this moment of tension that we have to continue the dialogue, not to ignore it, but to confront it honestly, to listen deeply, and to consider how we can move forward together without abandoning the values that have underpinned our partnership.
I hope that Israel will extend an invitation to the new Pope to visit Israel soon, like his three predecessors. I also hope that he will visit the great Synagogue of Rome early in his papacy. A dialogue in Jerusalem between the highest levels of the Vatican and Israel on the war and the stalled economic agreement could help create a better understanding and renewed friendship. I believe we have to do a better job explaining to our Catholic friends the unique bond between the Jewish people and Israel and the significant place of Israel in Jewish self-identity. This is a moment to reinvest in that relationship, not retreat from it. We all should consider now how we might contribute to renewing the path of dialogue, even amid the present misunderstandings and tensions.